Interim HealthCare Promotes the Importance of Advanced Healthcare Decisions

By: Interim HealthCare | 0 Shares 56 Reads

April 2, 2015 // Franchising.com // SUNRISE, FL - In an effort to highlight the importance of advance healthcare decision-making, Interim HealthCare is promoting National Healthcare Decisions Day.

“Studies show that less than one-third of all adults have a living will or any kind of advance directive to make their healthcare wishes known in the event of catastrophe,” comments Kathleen Gilmartin, President and CEO of Interim HealthCare, Inc. “Having an advance directive enables families and healthcare providers to be better equipped to address advanced healthcare planning issues and be better able to honor patient wishes when the time comes to do so.”

National Healthcare Decisions Day was started seven years ago to teach Americans the benefits of creating an advance directive, and to encourage healthcare providers to recommend them more often. Interim HealthCare is encouraging all of its 300 plus offices across the country to join in National HealthCare Decisions Day.

“No one likes to think about the possibility of a life-threatening injury or disease,” said Nathan Kottkamp, chairman of the National Healthcare Decision Day initiative. “But the simple act of creating an advance directive can turn out to be an incredible gift for loved ones in the event of an accident or severe illness.”

The event’s date is no coincidence. Kottkamp selected the day after Tax Day in honor of Benjamin Franklin’s famous adage: “Nothing in life is certain but death and taxes.”

“No matter where you live, you can fill out an advance directive without hiring a lawyer. It’s easy to do and is free,” said Kottkamp, a healthcare attorney with the McGuireWoods law firm. He founded National Healthcare Decision Day in 2008 after seeing how uncertainty about patients’ wishes can lead to tragic results. He runs the campaign on a pro-bono basis.

For additional information about National HealthCare Decisions Day, visit: http://www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org

About Interim HealthCare, Inc.

Interim HealthCare Inc., founded in 1966, is a leading national franchisor of home care, hospice and healthcare staffing. It is part of Caring Brands International which also includes UK-based Bluebird Care and Australia-based Just Better Care, both well-known franchise brands in their countries. With more than 530 franchise locations in seven countries Caring Brands International is a global health care leader.

Interim HealthCare in the United States is unique in combining the commitment of local ownership with the support of a national organization that develops innovative programs and quality standards that improve the delivery of service. Franchisees employ nurses, therapists, aides, companions and other healthcare professionals who provide 25 million hours of home care service to 190,000 people each year, meeting a variety of home health, senior care, hospice, palliative care, pediatric care and healthcare staffing needs. For more information or to locate an Interim HealthCare office, visit www.interimhealthcare.com.

SOURCE Interim HealthCare, Inc.

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