How to be a Health Care Surrogate - a workshop

Do you or someone you love need a trusted surrogate to manage difficult medical decisions?

Attend a Health Care Surrogate Support Seminar to help equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to become a healthcare surrogate, a caring agent with Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPOAHC).

Please let us know you are coming by using this RSVP form so we can plan space and materials.

In this workshop, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of your role, enhancing your abilities and equipping you with the necessary skills to serve effectively. Additionally, you will learn how to conduct in-depth, guided conversations with family members or friends to gain a deeper understanding of their choices and preferences. This knowledge will empower you to respectfully present the preferences of the person you represent while acknowledging and accepting their values, even if they differ from yours.

Furthermore, you will gain the knowledge and skills to create a Conditional Medical Order (CMO), which can significantly increase your chances of receiving the care you desire.

Who Should Attend:

• Anyone who has agreed to serve as a health care agent (surrogate decision maker, health care proxy, or attorney in fact for health care decisions) for a family member or friend.
• Anyone who has signed a Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA) and has a surrogate.
• Anyone who needs a health care agent.

Who Should Attend With You?
If possible, plan on attending with the person for whom you will be the trusted medical surrogate for medical decisions, with a DPOA (Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care). As a surrogate and health care agent, you will represent their wishes if they are unable to do so for themselves, and it is essential that you know what they want and how to advocate on their behalf. While not required, attending with your family member or friend will increase the likelihood that their preferences will be heard when they matter most. If you don’t have a surrogate, we might be able to help you find one at the workshop.

Bring Documents
Bring all advance care directive forms already completed, whether up to date or not. Documents need to be reviewed every five years and updated when there is a new diagnosis, or values and expectations change. This is a chance to review and possibly better understand your family member’s or friend’s preferences.

Again, please use this RSVP form to let us know if you are coming!

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Presenter Richard Stuart, Clinical Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington’s Department of Psychiatry, currently serves on the staff of Swedish/Edmonds Hospital. A psychologist with an extensive clinical, research, and writing career and years of experience in advance care planning.