Tidewell Offers Free Virtual Discussion on Advance Healthcare Planning

April 14, 2021 – Sarasota

The Tidewell Hospice family of companies is partnering with the Tidewell Foundation, Inc. to present “Your Decisions Matter,” a free virtual panel discussion from 10-11:30 a.m. Friday, April 16 on National Healthcare Decisions Day. This online event will educate people on the importance of planning ahead for their healthcare decisions by discussing advance directives, financial planning, estate planning, charitable and planned giving, and more.

The virtual seminar will feature three experts in the area of advance care planning. Each panelist will individually speak and also participate in a question-and-answer segment with guests at the end of the event:

• Nafi Cunningham is the director of My Life, My Choice at Stratum Health System, a free year-round advance care planning program for adults. 
• Jill McCrory is a transactional tax attorney at McCrory Law Firm and focuses on asset transfers in the context of wills, trusts, estates, probate, asset preservation, business succession and real estate.
• Steven Krause, senior vice president and trust advisor at Northern Trust, has more than 40 years of wealth management experience and focuses on developing and administering customized financial planning and wealth transfer strategies. 

“People are often so busy in their daily lives that they don’t tend to think about healthcare decisions that their family members may have to make years down the road,” said Tidewell Foundation President Debbie Mason. “We are fortunate to have Nafi, Jill and Steven joining us to impart their wealth of experience and speak about the importance of advance care planning for individuals and their families.”

My Life, My Choice is an advance care planning program offered by Stratum Health System, the parent company for the Tidewell family of companies, for adults who are interested in putting their affairs in order but aren’t sure how to do so. Through this free program, Stratum’s certified facilitators provide advance care planning presentations at places of business, congregations, neighborhood meetings and other convenient settings to help guide individuals in how to make important legal decisions for the future.

National Healthcare Decisions Day is designed to raise awareness and empower the public and healthcare providers to take part in important advance care planning. According to a 2018 national survey by The Conversation Project, 92 percent of Americans believe it’s important to discuss their wishes for end-of-life care, but only 32 percent have done so. Without an advanced directive, medical personnel rely on family members, who often struggle to determine what a patient’s wishes might be.

Registration for the webinar is still open here (https://tidewell.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xRQrKsHkQ0qN3WXdlsKslw).