Mercy Medical Center offers forum on advance care planning April 16

End-of-life situations can occur unexpectedly, with no time to make one's wishes known. What if you were unable to speak for yourself? Join a panel of experts from Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, including Dr. Amanda Sommerfeldt, Medical Director of Hospice of Mercy; and members of Mercy's hospice social work and chaplain teams, to discuss advance directives and Iowa Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (IPOST).

The forum takes place Tues., April 16 at 7 p.m. at the Dennis & Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy, in Hiawatha. The forum will assist with discovering the value of advance care planning, learning how to talk about future healthcare decisions, and understanding how to document healthcare decisions using advance directives.

National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16. It's a time to emphasize the importance of making future healthcare decisions and wishes known to one's family, friends and healthcare providers. For more information, call 319-398-6496 or visit https://www.mercycare.org/services/hospice/