Note: This week commemorates the fourth annual National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD), which will take place on Saturday, April 16. Through the collaboration of national, state and community health care organizations, NHDD provides an opportunity for adults in this country to discuss their health care preferences and take steps to select a health care surrogate who can ensure their wishes are communicated if they are no longer able to do so themselves.

To encourage Seattle-area residents to take part in NHDD and start these important conversations with their families, Dr. Eric Troyer, has written the following article.

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An accident or severe illness can occur at any time, regardless of your age or health, which is why it’s important to discuss your health care preferences with your loved ones as soon as possible.

Many of us are reluctant to talk about our preferences and are uncomfortable even thinking about them. Putting off these important conversations can result in family conflict and confusion at a time when you are most vulnerable.

Saturday, April 16, is National Healthcare Decisions Day, part of a grassroots awareness effort that reminds us of the need to discuss our health care preferences with our families, friends and health care providers and place these wishes in a legally binding document. This can be difficult, uncomfortable and frightening for many people because it forces us to consider, act upon and share deeply personal decisions.

However, we must embrace the opportunity to think carefully about our values and beliefs regarding end-of-life care and take the time to express how we want – and don’t want – to spend our final days.

Each of us has a right to maintain our personal dignity. By identifying a health care surrogate who can express our health care preferences should we be unable to do so ourselves, talking about our wishes while we can, and documenting those wishes in an advance directive, we can ensure that our personal dignity is honored and create peace of mind for ourselves and our loved ones.

I support National Healthcare Decisions Day as a clinician who has seen families struggle with uncertainty as they are forced to make health care decisions that their loved one never made, hoping it reflects what he or she would want. This scenario can happen with a life-threatening injury, a mass tragedy, or even at the end of a long illness. We can no longer avoid planning for the inevitable; we must address the matters that are within our control and prepare accordingly.

I urge all Seattle-area residents to take the time to discuss their health care preferences with their families and friends this month. It’s never too early to start discussing your health care wishes. The peacefulness of our last days depends on the conversations we start today. To find out more about choosing a legally recognized health care surrogate in your state, visit www.caringinfo.org.

Dr. Eric Troyer is the medical director for Evercare in Washington.