Make time for the difficult conversation on health

Dear Editor: We Procrastinate. We’re not proud of it, be we all do it. It’s no secret that many of us ‘hit the ground running’ each day; come up for air on weekends and marvel, perplexed and vexed, at the passage of time. No wonder talking ‘face to face’ has been put on hold. Multi-tasking and technological advances, such as voicemail, e-mail and text-messaging, have nearly rendered dialogue an archaic art form. And yet, we know there are really important circumstances that warrant more than a perfunctory ‘fly by’ chat with our spouse, child, colleague or friend. Serious illness is one of the critical issues requiring a deliberate and sensitive discussion with our loved ones. The value of having a true ‘heart to heart’ talk with our family regarding our health, health care wishes and future health care cannot be underestimated. March is National Social Work Month. On behalf of the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, I would like to applaud all of my social service colleagues for making the time each day to have ‘difficult’ conversations with their clients and families. I am also indebted to the many patients and their families who have taught us the value of expressing ourselves, as time is both precious and uncertain. Finally, I would like to thank Mrs. Julia Quinlan, the late Joseph T. Quinlan and the Quinlan family for spurring the first dialogues on end-of-life care. I would urge everyone to make the time for meaningful, albeit challenging, conversations about life-changing issues. If you find the task daunting, there are many wonderful social workers, counselors and clinicians in your community that are trained to help. You’ll be so glad you did! Marlina R. Schetting, MSW, LCSW Director of Social Services and Counseling Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice and Home Healthcare Sparta