WEBVTT
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Well, welcome to Touching Lives and to our second episode uh why health care decisions matter.
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My name is David Edwards.
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I'm the director of communications for Life Touch Health, and I want to welcome you to this first episode in our beautiful new studio here at Life Touch Health.
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We're so excited about it, and in a future episode, we're going to talk more about that.
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But uh to get directly to matters today, I am joined by our president and CEO, Dr.
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Brian Bell.
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Thank you for having us here today.
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This is one of my favorite subjects.
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I love our new studio.
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Yeah, and it were there's more to come on this, too.
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Well, at the time of this recording, it is April 16th, National Health Care Decisions Day.
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Yes.
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So I'm going to open up with this question.
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Okay.
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If something were unexpected were to happen to you, and you couldn't speak for yourself, who would make your health care decisions?
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Yeah, that's an important question.
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Yeah.
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So today it'd be my wife.
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So my wife would make that decision.
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Now, I think that's different for everybody.
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I'll just be honest with you.
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I don't it doesn't have to be your spouse.
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It could be your children, it could be your next door neighbor, it could be your pastor, it could be anybody you trust that you have a good relationship with.
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Uh, but you know, a lot of times people do, as I do, to pick our spouses uh to do that.
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And I think they're that's a great choice.
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They're usually with you and around and y'all having conversations, and uh so I think that's a a natural choice, but it doesn't always have to be that person.
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Uh it depends on a lot of uh factors.
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But that it doesn't just happen.
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This has to be recorded somewhere, doesn't it?
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So how how does that what how what do we do about that?
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Yeah, so I mean, there's steps to this for when you're making these important steps, there's steps to um first make the decision.
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Well, you know, what do I want?
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Uh, and then I always say, go ahead and and then talk to that person who you want to be your proxy, your healthcare power of attorney, and it probably at the same time put those down in documents, uh written documents called advanced directives.
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And so now you have a person, uh, and within those advanced directives, there is one document called a health care power of attorney, and that names who that person is.
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That in the case that you were unconscious, you could not speak for yourself, this person would be stand in to speak for you.
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But that person would only come in to speak for you if you were in a state where you couldn't speak for yourself.
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So they couldn't, you couldn't sign this document and they go ahead and make decisions while you're still conscious and still have what we call decisional capacity.
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And then, like I said, the second part of that is an advanced directive, which is actually the the written kind of document that kind of explains in different scenarios what kind of care you would want to receive.
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And so it's very explicit uh and about what you would want.
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So then your power of attorney, your proxy, or your durable power, would would take that document and know what to do.
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So it's and it's written down, so it's very easy.
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So it's a conversations and it's documents uh that work together to really uh do this uh uh decision making.
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Okay.
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So you're you're CEO now, but you've you've had years of practice as a physician.
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Uh from your experience in those years of practice, uh, what difference does it make when someone has these plans in place versus not?
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And I'm sure you've got stories to tell about it.
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I can sit here all day with stories, but it's a uh when we have a document, when we have a designated person who's been talking to that person, it's so much better when we have to make a very difficult decision.
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Uh there's a decision to take someone off the ventilator, a breathing machine, or take them off life-sustaining treatment.
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Uh, that is not an easy decision to make without some kind of guidance.
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And I can tell you, I just give you one little story.
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I had a lady who had to make this decision for her mother, and a couple years later, she had to do it for the father.
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I wasn't there for her mother, but when her father was in the ICU, physically she could not come up the stairs at the hospital to the ICU because she had PTSD.
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Literally, post-traumatic stress disorder from that experience.
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So I had to meet her in the lobby of the hotel of the hospital just to have this conversation because the first time we didn't have advanced dress.
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And unfortunately, we didn't have them on the second time either, but it can be very stressful.
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Now, on the flip side of that, when I have those documents and have we know known wishes, the peace that families get is incredible.
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That they don't, they're knowing they're not making a decision, they're just carrying out a decision that had been made already by the person that their loved one that was there at the bed.
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So so it is having and not having is it is a dramatic difference of the experience that that person that's being there for that is going to have.
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Okay.
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Well, you actually beat me to the punch.
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One of the questions we're gonna ask what happens to when those decisions haven't been made yet.
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It's it's not a good situation.
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It is not a good situation.
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It can cause a lot of harm for many years if those decisions for certain people.
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Okay.
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Well, there are a lot of people that think this is something that just uh come out making a will.
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Well, I'll do it someday I'm when I get older.
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When should someone make these decisions?
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Well, what they tell us is 18 years old.
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Really?
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Or if you're an emancipated minor, you should have advanced directive.
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So starting at 18, or if you're 16 and you're an emancipated minor, then you should have these decisions, you know, having an advanced directive, having a healthcare power attorney.
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So it's not for, you know, just the senior crowd, you know, it's not for the no-hairs or the gray hairs like us here.
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It is for pretty much anyone that's an adult needs to have these documents and then needs, like I said, I and I tell you, having that person as your power attorney is probably for me, is even more important that you could have a conversation.
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So, yes, the documents are important, but I always say the conversations that you're having regularly with this person that's going to be your power attorney is hugely uh important over time.
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That because you're you know, things change.
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Things change over time.
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Okay, awesome.
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So basically, uh if you're a responsible adult, you need to make have these decisions made right there.
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I wish I said when I was 18, I did it.
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I didn't.
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You know, it was not the first thing on my mind at 18 years old, and probably not on most 18 years old, but that is the current recommendation at this time.
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Well, we hear we hear terms uh like advanced directives as part of healthcare decisions.
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And also this term pulsed comes up.
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What's pulsed?
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Yeah, and that that it's somewhat different than an advanced directive, and we'll kind of in a little bit, it stands for physician's order for life sustaining treatment.
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Now here's the the catch there.
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It's an order, right?
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Advanced directives are more like a wish, but a physician order is very powerful.
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So when you do an advanced directive, you sit down with maybe yourself or your family and you write it all out.
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With a post, you sit down with your physician to do this.
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Y'all discuss that, and that physician should talk about your diagnosis, your prognosis, what your options are.
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So it's a conversation not with your family members now, it's a conversation with your physician because now on an advanced directive, you're signing it, or some witnesses and you with a pulse, your physician now is signing it.
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So that is the difference.
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And it the great thing about a pulse, and I love the pulse, I've been working with pulse uh for many, many years, is that it's portable, meaning when you go to the hospital, it's going to work there.
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If you leave the hospital in an ambulance, it's it's accepted there.
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If you have to go to a nursing home, so this document's very portable and can go wherever you go, and you don't have to keep having these conversations because it is a physician's order, which like I said is a very powerful thing, that that is a portable document that travels wherever you're at and should be acknowledged by another doctor, the hospital, the nursing homes, the EMTs, all the people recognize that document as a legal document that they need to follow.
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So I guess to set to summarize it all up, no matter what stage you're in, get your advanced directives up.
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Get your advanced directives done now.
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And and then give serious consideration to your post.
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Post, yeah.
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And I'll say this on the post, the way it's written in the legislature, it's mainly for those people that have a year or less.
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And we're talking specifically about the state of Arkansas.
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So now can you do that?
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You know, you can do whatever you want, but that was the intent of the legislation is for that pulse form um to be used for someone's probably a year or less.
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Okay.
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And the other thing I want to say that is make sure that your pulse form and your advanced directives match each other.
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It's getting very confusing if we have a pulse form that says one thing and an advanced directive that says something else.
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So always make sure that those documents have the similar language or identical language so that we're not confused about really what you want.
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So if you update one, make sure you update the other.
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Keep them together and keep them available at home.
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Keep them available at home, but also disseminate them.
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So you need to keep the originals, okay?
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But you need to make sure whether it's an advanced directive or a pulse, that your physician has it, your hospital has it.
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So these documents are not good in a safety box, right?
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Right.
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They're not good if you don't give them to your power of attorney.
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So they're worthless uh if you don't have any way to disseminate them and put it in the hands of the people at the time that need to make these decisions.
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So I think that's a really another very important thing to consider.
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Awesome.
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Well, it's great information.
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Uh hopefully it's a way we can positively touch lives, which is what we're here for.
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And I want to let everyone know that these forms uh for the state of Arkansas are available on the lifetouchhealth.org website.
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Uh, you simply go to lifetouchhealth.org forward slash health-care-decisions.
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Uh, or you can just go to the click down menu under uh uh patients, scroll down, and the health care decisions tab is there.
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Dr.
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Bell, thank you for being with us.
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We'll be right back.
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Thank you.
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It's time to party at the plaza.
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Saturday, April 25th, 1 30 p.m.
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Argento Plaza, North Little Ross, starring a family reunion of performers, American Idol winner Chris Allen, the Cleverleys, Rodney Block, Janine Latrice Brez and the Sound, the Rocktown Sparks, and Shannon Bouchers.
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There'll be food trusts, family fun, the care fair, and more, all supporting the mission of Life Touch Health.
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And admission is free.
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Visit party at the plaza.org for more information.
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Healthcare is changing.
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An Arkansas hospice is changing too, impacting more lives in more ways.
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Since 1992, our trusted team has grown into the state's largest nonprofit provider of hospice care.
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Now we've expanded our services into personal care, primary care, and palliative care, all with a new name, Life Touch Health.
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Because when patients and families need more from us, we become more for you.
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Life Touch Health.
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Well, welcome back.
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Uh, in this segment, I'm pleased to introduce to you a couple of very special guests.
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Uh first we have Nikki Taylor, Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Life Touch Health.
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And you all know uh Dr.
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Brian Bell, our president and CEO.
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Thank you for being on Touching Live.
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Sure.
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Well, and as part of this segment, talking about understanding uh health care and health care decisions and how important they are.
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One decision that we know people encounter is do you enroll in hospice or palliative care?
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And there's uh seemingly there's a lot of confusion and and the blurred lines between what those two different types of care are.
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So uh people hear those words and they they they assume that they're the same thing, but uh are they?
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And Dr.
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Bale, you want to expand on that?
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Yeah, so and this is kind of how I explain it.
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So palliative care, well, let's say this hospice is a subset of palliative care.
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So when you look at, if you got a like a draw a big circle, and this is a population of seriously ill people, within that circle is a smaller population that have a limited prognosis, probably for six months or less basis, is what the Medicare, hospice Medicare benefits.
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So uh there's actually more palliative care patients, but hospice is what I call a subset of the palliative care, and that's how most of the world looks at it.
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So I think there's a lot of overlap between the two.
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I think they both want to do great quality of care, you know, and do prove quality of life for patients.
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So I think that's kind of this common thread is that we're trying to say, how can we make people's lives better, prove that quality of life, either that they have a serious illness or one that's you know in the last couple months.
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And so I think that's uh for me a big differentiate.
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I don't know what you feel, uh Nikki, what's your what's your thoughts about it?
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Absolutely.
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Hospice and palliative do have the commonality of they're both specialties and they focus on quality of life and comfort.
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However, what I always want people to remember is that palliative care can be combined in alignment with curative treatment options.
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And so that's something that's important to remember that patients can start that sooner.
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So typically, palliative care first, then not all cases are the same, but then typically at some point in time it evolves into hospice care eventually.
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Yes, sir.
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Palliative care allows us to start building those trusting relationships with specialists, and then they're followed throughout their journey.
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Okay.
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So is there any time limit on the length of time a patient can be enrolled in in a palliative care program?
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No, sir.
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Once a person is diagnosed with serious illness, we're able to start that care then, and we're able to work with their current health care team, their specialist, whether that's oncologist, nephrologist, uh neurologist, and we can work in conjunction with their PCP as well.
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So, and you mentioned that it can be in conjunction with curative treatment.
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It so someone could be in palliative care and then discharge and continue uh a long life afterwards, then so yes, sir, absolutely.
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We actually have patients that are still undergoing home health treatment, physical therapy, dialysis, chemotherapy, and radiation.
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And I think that's one of the goals is really to make sure you get through your chemotherapy.
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Can you get through your radiation?
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So, unlike hospice, you're gonna forgo those sort of things to come on to hospice.
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With palliative care, you're you're gonna hopefully complete all those therapies and make and when you're getting through that, hopefully do it better than you could without palliative care.
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So if you're having symptoms from that dialysis or symptoms from that chemotherapy, that palliative care provider is there to make sure you're comfortable while you're receiving those curative treatments.
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Okay, so one of the things I want to ask about with that is we're talking about uh outcomes and quality of life.
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What is typically the difference between the outcome and the goals of care under a palliative care program versus hospice?
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With palliative care, what we see is patients are able to decrease their hospitalizations and ED visits.
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When we proactively look for things like symptom management, shortness of breath, pain, and we address those proactively with a team approach, we can keep them out of the hospital longer.
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There's been some interesting research back, I think back in 2010, that patients that were getting palliative care that had a certain type of cancer actually lived longer, two and a half months longer than a patient.
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So there is some evidence, and we see that, I'll be honest with you, you'll see that a little bit in the hospice too.
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Uh we see patients that have been researched, say for heart failure, they actually live like 72 days longer than somebody who had the sex same disease but did not have hospice.
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And so uh I know it seems a little counterintuitive that that would happen, but there is some evidence, especially with a palliative, this very great palliative called the Timmel study, showed that actually those patients actually live longer than the patients that did not have uh, you know, did not have palliative care.
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So why do you why do you think there's so much confusion on the differences between hospice and palliative care?
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Because I know a lot of times uh even clinicians they'll use the terms interchangeably, but we know there is a clear distinction between what stage of serious illness which one is appropriate for.
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So any any ideas on why there's that confusion in place?
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I think one of the reasons for the confusion is just the specialty of palliative and hospice separately requires a specialist.
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And in the state of Arkansas, as well as across the United States, there's a shortage of these specialists.
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And I think that that can compound the confusion.
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In addition, sometimes having difficult conversation is avoided, as many uh physicians may focus on simply treatment plans versus a holistic approach such as quality of life and comfort.
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Yeah.
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I think some physicians, I'll just be honest with you, want their patients to be on hospice, but they use the word palliative care because it's just easier, right?
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And so if we're sitting here in a conversation and I'm fixing to have a conversation with you as a patient and say you're gonna be on hospice, that's gonna be a different conversation.
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It's gonna be a lot of emotions.
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But if I say, hey, I'd like to put you on palliative care, that just really sometimes turns into a different conversation.
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And I'll be honest with you, that confuses patients as well.
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And so I do feel like there's sometimes a choice that we make to interchange the word hospice and palliative care because hospice comes with some negative connotations, death, and and so some clinicians I believe use palliative care uh interchangeably, which I think can really fe confuse patients sometimes.
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Right.
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So one of the things that uh uh I want to ask about is what's the typical transition like going from palliative care and hospice care?
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When does that usually happen?
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And then are there any advantages to that being in a program where you already have a provider like LifeTouch Health?
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And is there an advantage of a more seamless transition from palliative care into hospice care with a provider like that?
00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:39.599
Absolutely.
00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:44.000
With Life Touch Health, we have providers at the bedside that meet you where you're at.
00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:47.279
And our visits last about an hour and a half to two hours.
00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:51.440
So that provider follows you throughout the continuum of care.
00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:57.519
We're able to establish your medical records and your history and get to know you and your family and your goals and values.
00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:03.119
So when that time comes throughout the journey, we're able to help facilitate that seamlessly.
00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:09.039
So ultimately we can focus and make sure that we're maintaining your ultimate goals and decisions as a priority.
00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:12.720
So you you mentioned the medical records and all that are already in place.
00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:16.880
So that that work is already taken care of and it's just much simpler than that.
00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:19.359
Well, I cause it's a what I call a warm handoff, right?
00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:25.920
You know, so you know, you get referred from the hospital to a nursing home or from a one doctor, and they're not really talking with each other.
00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:35.440
So when you're under one umbrella like what we have in our family of services, you know, you go to palliative care, we're gonna warm hand, you know, warm handoff to the hospice services.
00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:36.720
You're gonna get the records.
00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:41.359
We're you know, sometimes our offices are right across the hall from each other, so you can talk to each other.
00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:43.599
Hey, let me, what what's going on with that patient?
00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:58.000
So I think in medicine that's really important, having those warm handoffs because we know that transitions where people get into problems, when they go from the hospital to, let's say, the nursing home or the nursing home to home, those transitions are the most troublesome.
00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:00.640
And same thing from palliative care to hospice.
00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:03.359
That could be a troublesome transition.
00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:08.400
But if you're in the same company that has these services, that's a much smoother transition.
00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:23.119
And I guess with hospice or palliative care, you can still get those plans of care wherever you are, wherever your your place of residency is, or whether it's your home, a nursing home, uh AOF, or uh even the hospital like that.
00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:36.559
One of the things that I would like to ask about that uh we haven't touched on yet is some more of the specifics and exactly the different services provided under palliative care versus under hospice care.
00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:39.440
Could could you could y'all give us some specifics, please?
00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:40.319
Sure.
00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:46.400
Yeah, so I think the one of the thing is hi palliative care is really a practice, and hospice is a program.
00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:46.559
Okay.
00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:49.279
And I think that's what one of the things you've got to differentiate here.
00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:55.920
So it is a program with multiple so for hospice, it's a program that's multiple services that are paid for.
00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:02.480
Such as could you give it a CNA's, okay, respite care, medications, DME equipment.
00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:05.119
So medications and DME equipment are paid for each other.
00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:07.680
All covered under the hospice benefit, right?
00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:09.680
So it's a very comprehensive program.
00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:14.960
It's probably one of the most comprehensive programs the government has ever set up.
00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:21.920
And so you get all these nurses' visits and you get uh, you know, 24-7 or somebody's coming out your house in the middle of the night.
00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:24.079
Now compare that to palliative care.
00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:29.359
And I'll be honest with you, here's the one I gotta say about hospice is very regulated by the government.
00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:32.000
They have to follow very strict rules.
00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:34.720
Palliative care is very unregulated.
00:21:34.799 --> 00:21:52.960
And when you well we say if you've seen one palliative care program, you've seen one palliative care program because one program may do it this way, and there's no really set rules how to do palliative care, but but you gotta think of it as a practice, and so traditionally the practice is just like when you go to your cardiologist or you go to your primary care doctor.
00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:59.599
You that provider's there, they're gonna provide a service, the palliative care services, but it's not include the DME.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:04.960
Does not include the medications because it's a practice and not a program.
00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:09.119
And so uh I always say that hospice is the Cadillac.
00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:13.039
My daughter would say is the Tesla, I guess what I say now.
00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:15.440
Uh, but it is uh more comprehensive.
00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:25.119
Palliative care is has a lot of the same uh uh that we have private providers, but we do not have a lot of the other services because there's no palliative care benefit.
00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:32.960
There's a hospice benefit, but not, and so it acts more like a private practice, and that's just kind of the difference.
00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:39.680
And I'll be honest with you, it confuses people even here because sometimes um we'll discharge a hospice patient, right?
00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:47.839
And they have the all these services, and we'll bring them on to palliative care because think about it, one out of every five hospice patients in our organization gets discharged alive.
00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:48.319
Really?
00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:53.279
Yeah, okay, and so uh, and that's most people don't understand that you can get out of hospice alive.
00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:55.920
And part of that is sometimes you just do better, right?
00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:04.960
You you get all this great care, and and and things are better, and so they'll come into our palliative care program and they're thinking, palliative care, oh, when's my CNA coming?
00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:07.200
Well, they're not, we don't have that, you know.
00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:17.119
That's a hospice benefit, but don't have that, and so sometimes it can be you know a little upsetting to patients to think they're transitioning to uh a program that would have the same kind of services.
00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:20.240
But there's I mean, but palliative care does a lot of great work.
00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:27.200
I mean, I'm not saying not discounting the work, it does a lot of great work with advanced care planning, and they're available 24-7.
00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:29.839
So our team uh is available.
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:35.359
You call, you're anytime you call, you're gonna get somebody on the phone, a practitioner who's gonna answer your questions.
00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:45.440
So uh so and so they do act a lot of times really either on the front end to transition you, but a lot of times on the back end of hospice, they can be a transition, you know, too as well.
00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:51.759
So that before we had palliative care, we would discharge a patient from hospice and we would leave them with nothing, right?
00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:55.200
They would say, Oh, you go back to your doctor, go back to this.
00:23:55.519 --> 00:23:58.079
But they did not get all the what I call the gaps.
00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:03.440
There is a lot of gaps, things like advanced care planning, and let's talk about your emotional and spiritual health.
00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:05.519
We still do that in palliative care.
00:24:05.759 --> 00:24:11.920
We just don't have it with all the dinner dysciane team that maybe the hospice program does.
00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:12.319
Yeah.
00:24:12.799 --> 00:24:18.799
So what is the optimal time to transition from a palliative care program?
00:24:19.200 --> 00:24:25.519
And let's say it's that it's it's a life-elming illness and there's we know what the outcome is going to be.
00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:27.759
What what's the best time to transition?
00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:29.279
Nikki, you want to answer that?
00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:30.079
Absolutely.
00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:46.480
What we see is when patients establish a six-month trajectory and when they can utilize that interdisciplinary team, when care exceeds and needs additional aids and nursing staff with hospice, we want to create a smooth transition so that they get that benefit from an interdisciplinary team.
00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:46.880
Okay.
00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:51.680
And that palliative care team, all along, is kind of following you along.
00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:57.519
And we can document things that are going on, like functional decline, cognitive decline.
00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:07.359
And so the great thing about it is that provider who's seeing you, maybe seeing you over the last three or four months, and can really see, like, oh, things are kind of not going the right way.
00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:15.759
And somewhere along that in a visit, they they kind of see, okay, we're at a point now where hospice could be an option.
00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:19.599
And they're probably already discussing it with you along the way, but they're they're not pushing you into it.
00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:23.119
I push you in and saying, hey, this is probably going to be an option in the future.
00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:28.960
One of my jobs, one of the things that I do as a provider is say, Hey, you know, at that point, I'll let you know.
00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:47.200
I'll let you know when you're falling into that six-month window, and then we can have a different conversation, and we'll have a conversation about hospice, and then you know, but but the thing is, is what happens in the world without palliative care, you get treatment, treatment, treatment, and one day somebody comes in and says, You're hospice, right?
00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:53.839
Chemo, chemo, chemo, whatever you're getting, and it's just a 180 like that.
00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:56.559
That is what we know that is traumatic.
00:25:56.720 --> 00:26:02.480
That can cause a lot of PTSD when patients have to make that 180 switch.
00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:10.480
But if you can ramp up to that, start having smaller conversations in the six months before that time comes, instead of all in one day it hits you.
00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:12.480
You've had a little time to prepare.
00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:14.160
You had a little time to think about it.
00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:14.880
And caregivers.
00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:15.519
Caregivers.
00:26:15.839 --> 00:26:17.279
That's what I'm saying, patients and caregivers.
00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:24.960
And so when that time does come, you've got now a person you trust who's kind of led you along the way.
00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:28.720
Come the conversation is kind of thinking about that in the future.
00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:31.759
And when that time gets here, it's not overwhelming, right?
00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:38.799
It's not like you show up at your doctor's thinking you're gonna get treatment today, and now they're saying you need hospice.
00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:39.200
Right.
00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:47.759
That is, I can't tell you how burdensome and heavy that is to someone to get that news that quickly.
00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:53.839
And uh, without palliative care, I'll be honest with you, that is the normal way that that happens.
00:26:54.079 --> 00:26:58.880
So palliative care changes what's normal to something I think better and improved.
00:26:59.119 --> 00:26:59.759
Awesome.
00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:06.400
And to excuse me, to learn more about this, uh, I just want to let everyone know, and I'm sure you can agree.
00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:16.400
Uh, you can go to lifetouchhealth.org, uh, click on the number to call, you can click on the contact us, email if you're uncomfortable talking to someone, and someone will be getting back in touch with you.
00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:17.759
That's a good place to get in.
00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:19.200
All right, well, thank you so much.
00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:22.079
And we're gonna take a quick break and we'll be right back.
00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:30.319
Healthcare is changing, and Arkansas hospice is changing too, impacting more lives in more ways.
00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:37.359
Since 1992, our trusted team has grown into the state's largest nonprofit provider of hospice care.
00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:47.359
Now we've expanded our services into personal care, primary care, and palliative care, all with a new name, Life Touch Health.
00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:52.240
Because when patients and families need more from us, we become more for you.
00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:53.839
Life Touch Health.
00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:56.480
Welcome back.
00:27:56.720 --> 00:28:03.039
And right now, for this final segment of this episode, uh, we're gonna have a little bit of fun and talk about an upcoming event we have.
00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:07.039
Uh, but not to say it all first, I'm gonna let these uh people tell us about it.
00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:11.200
We have uh our Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer, Dr.
00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:18.559
Kim Kirkman, and also from the uh Life Touch Health Foundation, we have our events coordinator, Margaret Willis.
00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:19.839
Thank you for having us today.
00:28:20.160 --> 00:28:20.480
Okay.
00:28:21.039 --> 00:28:28.240
So uh for the listeners and watchers that may not be familiar, can you share a little bit about the big event we have coming up?
00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:28.880
Sure.
00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:30.160
We're very excited.
00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:47.359
We have one signature event every year, and it's called Party at the Plaza, and it is on April 25th this year, and we are extremely excited to be able to support the mission of our of the mission of Life Touch Health and all of the things that we're able to do with with the revenue.
00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:47.920
Okay.
00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:49.839
Uh Margaret, do you want to expand on that?
00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:50.880
Sure, sure.
00:28:50.960 --> 00:29:00.720
So Party at the Plaza is coming up uh this next Saturday, April 25th, at um Argenta Plaza here in North Little Rock, and it's a community event.
00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:08.079
Uh, first and foremost, it's free to the community, but we also celebrate our donors and our employees there as well.
00:29:08.319 --> 00:29:11.039
It's um a music festival with five bands.
00:29:11.119 --> 00:29:21.279
We have headliner Chris Allen and um Bluegrass and Comedy Group, the Cleverleys, um, four or five other bands throughout the day.
00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:24.960
So the event starts at 1:30 and it's free to the public.
00:29:25.119 --> 00:29:27.440
And just come on out and have a good time.
00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:28.000
Awesome.
00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:30.960
Well, I know that the primary focus is music.
00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:36.319
Party in and of itself, it says it in the in the uh word and in the title of it.
00:29:36.400 --> 00:29:38.480
What about events family-friendly events?
00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:41.119
What what other kind of things do we have going on there for that?
00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:49.279
Well, we have a care fair, and that um has some displays of some of other of our lines of care.
00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:58.400
Um, we also have adjacent lines of care um that will be represented so that you can get a full range of what is needed in the aging process.
00:29:58.559 --> 00:30:08.559
We have a fun um kid zone, face painting, bounce houses, and all sorts of princesses and superheroes that are in attendance.
00:30:08.720 --> 00:30:12.160
Um there are some craft type um booths as well.
00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:14.240
Oh, well, I forgot to mention food.
00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:14.960
There's food trucks.
00:30:15.279 --> 00:30:16.000
I forgot to talk about that.
00:30:16.400 --> 00:30:23.759
Got to talk about some great Arkansas food trucks that'll be there and um available for anybody that wants those as well, and beverages.
00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:24.240
Okay.
00:30:24.400 --> 00:30:29.680
And from what I understand, uh it's uh come as you are, very free-flowing, casual.
00:30:29.839 --> 00:30:32.400
Put on your cap, sunglasses, wear your sunglasses.
00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:34.480
Yeah, you can bring your launch here.
00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:38.079
But uh, are there any VIP ticket experiences available?
00:30:38.319 --> 00:30:38.640
Yes.
00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:44.160
Um, one of the really fun ways that you can experience this is through our VIP process.
00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:54.880
And it is a um$150 per ticket, and you get uh snacks all day, beverages, adult beverages, and a full meal for dinner.
00:30:55.119 --> 00:31:03.279
So it's part of um we've added that for people that just want to come and enjoy the day and get to have a VIP experience.
00:31:03.519 --> 00:31:05.039
Yes, and tickets are still available?
00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:09.519
Yes, okay, and then uh what does the support from this event?
00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:24.319
I know that I understand it it's sponsorships that are the the primary uh uh funding mechanism, but what what how does participation in this event, both by attending and our sponsors, what does it do for the mission of Life Touch Health?
00:31:24.559 --> 00:31:25.359
That's a great question.
00:31:25.519 --> 00:31:37.359
One thing I would like to say is most events like this the organization hopes to break even, but we actually raise funds that we are able to use in the foundation.
00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:44.799
We do have a cost to put an event on, as you can imagine, but we do exponentially make have more money to be able to use for patients.
00:31:44.880 --> 00:32:04.160
And some of the things we get to do for patients, um, we have patients that have other needs besides their medical needs, their insurance, Medicare, Medicaid pay for those medical needs, but people will often have a caregiver that has to stop working because they're caring for the patient and their income is affected that way.
00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:10.960
And so we've helped people with um nutrition, with insure or um food for their family.
00:32:11.119 --> 00:32:25.200
We help people with emergency utility service when they get behind, and you know, it's it's a crisis a lot of times when people are at the end of life, and we want to make this experience the best that we can for people.
00:32:25.279 --> 00:32:29.599
And so we're very generous to be able to help our patients in uh many, many ways.
00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:30.240
Okay.
00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:34.000
And then how would uh well let's talk about the the time?
00:32:34.160 --> 00:32:34.880
Do we mention the time?
00:32:35.039 --> 00:32:35.680
1 30 p.m.
00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:36.960
I believe 1 30 p.m.
00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:38.319
till about 10 p.m.
00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:42.160
And you can come, you know, you don't have to come and stay the whole night.
00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:46.000
You can come for the meal, you can come for food trucks and enjoy the music.
00:32:46.079 --> 00:32:51.359
So and then uh this is an annual event, it's the fifth year, from what I understand.
00:32:51.599 --> 00:33:00.559
So one of the things that I would like to share is that uh in case someone's watching this podcast, after the event has already happened, you can already you can go ahead and start planning for year six.
00:33:00.640 --> 00:33:03.759
Uh, we have a website that's up full time on it.
00:33:03.839 --> 00:33:04.880
Barbara, you want to tell us about it?
00:33:05.279 --> 00:33:06.640
Party at the plaza.org.
00:33:06.799 --> 00:33:09.200
There's all sorts of sponsorship um opportunities.
00:33:09.279 --> 00:33:16.400
We have a huge video wall um that we promote sponsors on throughout the event and as well as our website as well.
00:33:16.480 --> 00:33:25.279
So there's lots of sponsorship opportunities, lots of ways you can honor uh and memorialize loved ones on a memorial wall.
00:33:25.519 --> 00:33:31.599
And we also give um an award out every year to our Compass Award winner.
00:33:31.759 --> 00:33:38.240
Um this year it's Sharon Davis, and you can become a friend of Sharon or whoever's next next year as well.
00:33:38.319 --> 00:33:42.240
And so there's lots of ways to get involved and to support this event.
00:33:42.319 --> 00:33:45.440
And you can volunteer if you just want to give your time.
00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:47.599
Um, we would love to have volunteers as well.
00:33:47.839 --> 00:33:50.079
It's just another way of touching lives, isn't it?
00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:50.559
Okay.
00:33:50.799 --> 00:33:52.720
Well, thank you for both being on here today.
00:33:52.880 --> 00:33:56.799
This it's great to uh wrap up this segment of our podcast with it.
00:33:56.960 --> 00:33:58.880
And I want to thank everyone who watched.
00:33:59.039 --> 00:34:05.759
I want to ask you to make sure that if you're watching on YouTube, go and subscribe to our channel, share this with other people.
00:34:05.920 --> 00:34:11.519
If you're listening online, uh from whichever platform you listen to podcasts on, please share with others.
00:34:11.760 --> 00:34:15.199
Thank you so much for uh you're watching and listening, and we'll see you again soon.
00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:16.400
Thanks a lot.
00:00:13.919 --> 00:00:20.960
Well, welcome to Touching Lives and to our second episode uh why health care decisions matter.
00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:22.480
My name is David Edwards.
00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:30.559
I'm the director of communications for Life Touch Health, and I want to welcome you to this first episode in our beautiful new studio here at Life Touch Health.
00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:34.399
We're so excited about it, and in a future episode, we're going to talk more about that.
00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:39.920
But uh to get directly to matters today, I am joined by our president and CEO, Dr.
00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:40.880
Brian Bell.
00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:42.159
Thank you for having us here today.
00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:44.240
This is one of my favorite subjects.
00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:45.200
I love our new studio.
00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:48.240
Yeah, and it were there's more to come on this, too.
00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:56.159
Well, at the time of this recording, it is April 16th, National Health Care Decisions Day.
00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:56.640
Yes.
00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:59.200
So I'm going to open up with this question.
00:00:59.439 --> 00:00:59.759
Okay.
00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:09.439
If something were unexpected were to happen to you, and you couldn't speak for yourself, who would make your health care decisions?
00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:11.120
Yeah, that's an important question.
00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:11.519
Yeah.
00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:13.519
So today it'd be my wife.
00:01:13.599 --> 00:01:15.280
So my wife would make that decision.
00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:17.599
Now, I think that's different for everybody.
00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:19.040
I'll just be honest with you.
00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:21.680
I don't it doesn't have to be your spouse.
00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:30.239
It could be your children, it could be your next door neighbor, it could be your pastor, it could be anybody you trust that you have a good relationship with.
00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:36.319
Uh, but you know, a lot of times people do, as I do, to pick our spouses uh to do that.
00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:37.920
And I think they're that's a great choice.
00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:46.239
They're usually with you and around and y'all having conversations, and uh so I think that's a a natural choice, but it doesn't always have to be that person.
00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:48.799
Uh it depends on a lot of uh factors.
00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:51.040
But that it doesn't just happen.
00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:53.280
This has to be recorded somewhere, doesn't it?
00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:56.079
So how how does that what how what do we do about that?
00:01:56.319 --> 00:02:04.560
Yeah, so I mean, there's steps to this for when you're making these important steps, there's steps to um first make the decision.
00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:06.000
Well, you know, what do I want?
00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:20.159
Uh, and then I always say, go ahead and and then talk to that person who you want to be your proxy, your healthcare power of attorney, and it probably at the same time put those down in documents, uh written documents called advanced directives.
00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:29.759
And so now you have a person, uh, and within those advanced directives, there is one document called a health care power of attorney, and that names who that person is.
00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:36.800
That in the case that you were unconscious, you could not speak for yourself, this person would be stand in to speak for you.
00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:42.639
But that person would only come in to speak for you if you were in a state where you couldn't speak for yourself.
00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:50.319
So they couldn't, you couldn't sign this document and they go ahead and make decisions while you're still conscious and still have what we call decisional capacity.
00:02:50.400 --> 00:03:02.000
And then, like I said, the second part of that is an advanced directive, which is actually the the written kind of document that kind of explains in different scenarios what kind of care you would want to receive.
00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:06.240
And so it's very explicit uh and about what you would want.
00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:12.960
So then your power of attorney, your proxy, or your durable power, would would take that document and know what to do.
00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:15.280
So it's and it's written down, so it's very easy.
00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:21.919
So it's a conversations and it's documents uh that work together to really uh do this uh uh decision making.
00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:22.479
Okay.
00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:28.479
So you're you're CEO now, but you've you've had years of practice as a physician.
00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:35.840
Uh from your experience in those years of practice, uh, what difference does it make when someone has these plans in place versus not?
00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:37.199
And I'm sure you've got stories to tell about it.
00:03:37.759 --> 00:03:50.639
I can sit here all day with stories, but it's a uh when we have a document, when we have a designated person who's been talking to that person, it's so much better when we have to make a very difficult decision.
00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:58.000
Uh there's a decision to take someone off the ventilator, a breathing machine, or take them off life-sustaining treatment.
00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:03.039
Uh, that is not an easy decision to make without some kind of guidance.
00:04:03.199 --> 00:04:05.680
And I can tell you, I just give you one little story.
00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:13.360
I had a lady who had to make this decision for her mother, and a couple years later, she had to do it for the father.
00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:22.959
I wasn't there for her mother, but when her father was in the ICU, physically she could not come up the stairs at the hospital to the ICU because she had PTSD.
00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:26.959
Literally, post-traumatic stress disorder from that experience.
00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:36.000
So I had to meet her in the lobby of the hotel of the hospital just to have this conversation because the first time we didn't have advanced dress.
00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:41.360
And unfortunately, we didn't have them on the second time either, but it can be very stressful.
00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:53.600
Now, on the flip side of that, when I have those documents and have we know known wishes, the peace that families get is incredible.
00:04:53.680 --> 00:05:02.959
That they don't, they're knowing they're not making a decision, they're just carrying out a decision that had been made already by the person that their loved one that was there at the bed.
00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:12.480
So so it is having and not having is it is a dramatic difference of the experience that that person that's being there for that is going to have.
00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:12.879
Okay.
00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:14.480
Well, you actually beat me to the punch.
00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:18.959
One of the questions we're gonna ask what happens to when those decisions haven't been made yet.
00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:20.480
It's it's not a good situation.
00:05:20.879 --> 00:05:22.079
It is not a good situation.
00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:27.360
It can cause a lot of harm for many years if those decisions for certain people.
00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:27.920
Okay.
00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:32.000
Well, there are a lot of people that think this is something that just uh come out making a will.
00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:34.720
Well, I'll do it someday I'm when I get older.
00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:37.199
When should someone make these decisions?
00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:39.680
Well, what they tell us is 18 years old.
00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:40.079
Really?
00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:44.800
Or if you're an emancipated minor, you should have advanced directive.
00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:54.959
So starting at 18, or if you're 16 and you're an emancipated minor, then you should have these decisions, you know, having an advanced directive, having a healthcare power attorney.
00:05:55.120 --> 00:06:01.920
So it's not for, you know, just the senior crowd, you know, it's not for the no-hairs or the gray hairs like us here.
00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:17.680
It is for pretty much anyone that's an adult needs to have these documents and then needs, like I said, I and I tell you, having that person as your power attorney is probably for me, is even more important that you could have a conversation.
00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:28.319
So, yes, the documents are important, but I always say the conversations that you're having regularly with this person that's going to be your power attorney is hugely uh important over time.
00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:29.759
That because you're you know, things change.
00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:31.040
Things change over time.
00:06:31.279 --> 00:06:32.000
Okay, awesome.
00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:38.800
So basically, uh if you're a responsible adult, you need to make have these decisions made right there.
00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:41.279
I wish I said when I was 18, I did it.
00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:41.920
I didn't.
00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:50.879
You know, it was not the first thing on my mind at 18 years old, and probably not on most 18 years old, but that is the current recommendation at this time.
00:06:51.360 --> 00:06:57.040
Well, we hear we hear terms uh like advanced directives as part of healthcare decisions.
00:06:57.519 --> 00:07:00.000
And also this term pulsed comes up.
00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:01.199
What's pulsed?
00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:09.040
Yeah, and that that it's somewhat different than an advanced directive, and we'll kind of in a little bit, it stands for physician's order for life sustaining treatment.
00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:10.800
Now here's the the catch there.
00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:12.399
It's an order, right?
00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:18.000
Advanced directives are more like a wish, but a physician order is very powerful.
00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:24.639
So when you do an advanced directive, you sit down with maybe yourself or your family and you write it all out.
00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:28.399
With a post, you sit down with your physician to do this.
00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:34.720
Y'all discuss that, and that physician should talk about your diagnosis, your prognosis, what your options are.
00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:48.720
So it's a conversation not with your family members now, it's a conversation with your physician because now on an advanced directive, you're signing it, or some witnesses and you with a pulse, your physician now is signing it.
00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:50.720
So that is the difference.
00:07:50.879 --> 00:08:02.240
And it the great thing about a pulse, and I love the pulse, I've been working with pulse uh for many, many years, is that it's portable, meaning when you go to the hospital, it's going to work there.
00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:05.360
If you leave the hospital in an ambulance, it's it's accepted there.
00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:32.960
If you have to go to a nursing home, so this document's very portable and can go wherever you go, and you don't have to keep having these conversations because it is a physician's order, which like I said is a very powerful thing, that that is a portable document that travels wherever you're at and should be acknowledged by another doctor, the hospital, the nursing homes, the EMTs, all the people recognize that document as a legal document that they need to follow.
00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:38.559
So I guess to set to summarize it all up, no matter what stage you're in, get your advanced directives up.
00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:40.639
Get your advanced directives done now.
00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:43.440
And and then give serious consideration to your post.
00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:44.399
Post, yeah.
00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:50.799
And I'll say this on the post, the way it's written in the legislature, it's mainly for those people that have a year or less.
00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:53.519
And we're talking specifically about the state of Arkansas.
00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:05.200
So now can you do that?
00:09:05.279 --> 00:09:14.080
You know, you can do whatever you want, but that was the intent of the legislation is for that pulse form um to be used for someone's probably a year or less.
00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:14.480
Okay.
00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:21.200
And the other thing I want to say that is make sure that your pulse form and your advanced directives match each other.
00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:27.440
It's getting very confusing if we have a pulse form that says one thing and an advanced directive that says something else.
00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:34.879
So always make sure that those documents have the similar language or identical language so that we're not confused about really what you want.
00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:37.919
So if you update one, make sure you update the other.
00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:39.919
Keep them together and keep them available at home.
00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:42.879
Keep them available at home, but also disseminate them.
00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:45.440
So you need to keep the originals, okay?
00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:50.960
But you need to make sure whether it's an advanced directive or a pulse, that your physician has it, your hospital has it.
00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:54.399
So these documents are not good in a safety box, right?
00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:54.799
Right.
00:09:54.960 --> 00:09:58.159
They're not good if you don't give them to your power of attorney.
00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:06.159
So they're worthless uh if you don't have any way to disseminate them and put it in the hands of the people at the time that need to make these decisions.
00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:09.200
So I think that's a really another very important thing to consider.
00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:09.759
Awesome.
00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:10.960
Well, it's great information.
00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:14.799
Uh hopefully it's a way we can positively touch lives, which is what we're here for.
00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:21.759
And I want to let everyone know that these forms uh for the state of Arkansas are available on the lifetouchhealth.org website.
00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:28.480
Uh, you simply go to lifetouchhealth.org forward slash health-care-decisions.
00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:36.559
Uh, or you can just go to the click down menu under uh uh patients, scroll down, and the health care decisions tab is there.
00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:37.120
Dr.
00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:38.879
Bell, thank you for being with us.
00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:40.159
We'll be right back.
00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:41.279
Thank you.
00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:43.279
It's time to party at the plaza.
00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:45.919
Saturday, April 25th, 1 30 p.m.
00:10:46.159 --> 00:10:59.519
Argento Plaza, North Little Ross, starring a family reunion of performers, American Idol winner Chris Allen, the Cleverleys, Rodney Block, Janine Latrice Brez and the Sound, the Rocktown Sparks, and Shannon Bouchers.
00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:06.159
There'll be food trusts, family fun, the care fair, and more, all supporting the mission of Life Touch Health.
00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:07.440
And admission is free.
00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:10.879
Visit party at the plaza.org for more information.
00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:13.120
Healthcare is changing.
00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:18.320
An Arkansas hospice is changing too, impacting more lives in more ways.
00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:25.279
Since 1992, our trusted team has grown into the state's largest nonprofit provider of hospice care.
00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:35.360
Now we've expanded our services into personal care, primary care, and palliative care, all with a new name, Life Touch Health.
00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:40.240
Because when patients and families need more from us, we become more for you.
00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:41.679
Life Touch Health.
00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:43.519
Well, welcome back.
00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:48.240
Uh, in this segment, I'm pleased to introduce to you a couple of very special guests.
00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:54.399
Uh first we have Nikki Taylor, Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Life Touch Health.
00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:55.919
And you all know uh Dr.
00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:57.919
Brian Bell, our president and CEO.
00:11:58.080 --> 00:11:59.519
Thank you for being on Touching Live.
00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:00.000
Sure.
00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:07.919
Well, and as part of this segment, talking about understanding uh health care and health care decisions and how important they are.
00:12:08.159 --> 00:12:14.240
One decision that we know people encounter is do you enroll in hospice or palliative care?
00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:21.840
And there's uh seemingly there's a lot of confusion and and the blurred lines between what those two different types of care are.
00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:27.759
So uh people hear those words and they they they assume that they're the same thing, but uh are they?
00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:28.320
And Dr.
00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:29.840
Bale, you want to expand on that?
00:12:30.159 --> 00:12:32.480
Yeah, so and this is kind of how I explain it.
00:12:32.559 --> 00:12:37.519
So palliative care, well, let's say this hospice is a subset of palliative care.
00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:52.080
So when you look at, if you got a like a draw a big circle, and this is a population of seriously ill people, within that circle is a smaller population that have a limited prognosis, probably for six months or less basis, is what the Medicare, hospice Medicare benefits.
00:12:52.159 --> 00:13:01.519
So uh there's actually more palliative care patients, but hospice is what I call a subset of the palliative care, and that's how most of the world looks at it.
00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:04.639
So I think there's a lot of overlap between the two.
00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:11.200
I think they both want to do great quality of care, you know, and do prove quality of life for patients.
00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:22.960
So I think that's kind of this common thread is that we're trying to say, how can we make people's lives better, prove that quality of life, either that they have a serious illness or one that's you know in the last couple months.
00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:26.240
And so I think that's uh for me a big differentiate.
00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:29.200
I don't know what you feel, uh Nikki, what's your what's your thoughts about it?
00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:29.919
Absolutely.
00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:36.720
Hospice and palliative do have the commonality of they're both specialties and they focus on quality of life and comfort.
00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:43.919
However, what I always want people to remember is that palliative care can be combined in alignment with curative treatment options.
00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:48.240
And so that's something that's important to remember that patients can start that sooner.
00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:58.799
So typically, palliative care first, then not all cases are the same, but then typically at some point in time it evolves into hospice care eventually.
00:13:59.519 --> 00:13:59.840
Yes, sir.
00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:07.039
Palliative care allows us to start building those trusting relationships with specialists, and then they're followed throughout their journey.
00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:07.600
Okay.
00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:13.279
So is there any time limit on the length of time a patient can be enrolled in in a palliative care program?
00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:14.399
No, sir.
00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:29.679
Once a person is diagnosed with serious illness, we're able to start that care then, and we're able to work with their current health care team, their specialist, whether that's oncologist, nephrologist, uh neurologist, and we can work in conjunction with their PCP as well.
00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:33.519
So, and you mentioned that it can be in conjunction with curative treatment.
00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:42.000
It so someone could be in palliative care and then discharge and continue uh a long life afterwards, then so yes, sir, absolutely.
00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:48.399
We actually have patients that are still undergoing home health treatment, physical therapy, dialysis, chemotherapy, and radiation.
00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:52.639
And I think that's one of the goals is really to make sure you get through your chemotherapy.
00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:54.240
Can you get through your radiation?
00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:59.039
So, unlike hospice, you're gonna forgo those sort of things to come on to hospice.
00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:07.679
With palliative care, you're you're gonna hopefully complete all those therapies and make and when you're getting through that, hopefully do it better than you could without palliative care.
00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:17.919
So if you're having symptoms from that dialysis or symptoms from that chemotherapy, that palliative care provider is there to make sure you're comfortable while you're receiving those curative treatments.
00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:24.879
Okay, so one of the things I want to ask about with that is we're talking about uh outcomes and quality of life.
00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:33.759
What is typically the difference between the outcome and the goals of care under a palliative care program versus hospice?
00:15:34.639 --> 00:15:40.879
With palliative care, what we see is patients are able to decrease their hospitalizations and ED visits.
00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:51.759
When we proactively look for things like symptom management, shortness of breath, pain, and we address those proactively with a team approach, we can keep them out of the hospital longer.
00:15:52.720 --> 00:16:05.440
There's been some interesting research back, I think back in 2010, that patients that were getting palliative care that had a certain type of cancer actually lived longer, two and a half months longer than a patient.
00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:10.320
So there is some evidence, and we see that, I'll be honest with you, you'll see that a little bit in the hospice too.
00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:20.399
Uh we see patients that have been researched, say for heart failure, they actually live like 72 days longer than somebody who had the sex same disease but did not have hospice.
00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:38.240
And so uh I know it seems a little counterintuitive that that would happen, but there is some evidence, especially with a palliative, this very great palliative called the Timmel study, showed that actually those patients actually live longer than the patients that did not have uh, you know, did not have palliative care.
00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:43.600
So why do you why do you think there's so much confusion on the differences between hospice and palliative care?
00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:53.440
Because I know a lot of times uh even clinicians they'll use the terms interchangeably, but we know there is a clear distinction between what stage of serious illness which one is appropriate for.
00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:56.720
So any any ideas on why there's that confusion in place?
00:16:57.200 --> 00:17:04.799
I think one of the reasons for the confusion is just the specialty of palliative and hospice separately requires a specialist.
00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:10.000
And in the state of Arkansas, as well as across the United States, there's a shortage of these specialists.
00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:12.799
And I think that that can compound the confusion.
00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:25.440
In addition, sometimes having difficult conversation is avoided, as many uh physicians may focus on simply treatment plans versus a holistic approach such as quality of life and comfort.
00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:26.160
Yeah.
00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:35.200
I think some physicians, I'll just be honest with you, want their patients to be on hospice, but they use the word palliative care because it's just easier, right?
00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:43.519
And so if we're sitting here in a conversation and I'm fixing to have a conversation with you as a patient and say you're gonna be on hospice, that's gonna be a different conversation.
00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:45.359
It's gonna be a lot of emotions.
00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:50.640
But if I say, hey, I'd like to put you on palliative care, that just really sometimes turns into a different conversation.
00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:53.759
And I'll be honest with you, that confuses patients as well.
00:17:53.839 --> 00:18:13.440
And so I do feel like there's sometimes a choice that we make to interchange the word hospice and palliative care because hospice comes with some negative connotations, death, and and so some clinicians I believe use palliative care uh interchangeably, which I think can really fe confuse patients sometimes.
00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:14.000
Right.
00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:23.440
So one of the things that uh uh I want to ask about is what's the typical transition like going from palliative care and hospice care?
00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:25.039
When does that usually happen?
00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:32.079
And then are there any advantages to that being in a program where you already have a provider like LifeTouch Health?
00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:38.720
And is there an advantage of a more seamless transition from palliative care into hospice care with a provider like that?
00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:39.599
Absolutely.
00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:44.000
With Life Touch Health, we have providers at the bedside that meet you where you're at.
00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:47.279
And our visits last about an hour and a half to two hours.
00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:51.440
So that provider follows you throughout the continuum of care.
00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:57.519
We're able to establish your medical records and your history and get to know you and your family and your goals and values.
00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:03.119
So when that time comes throughout the journey, we're able to help facilitate that seamlessly.
00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:09.039
So ultimately we can focus and make sure that we're maintaining your ultimate goals and decisions as a priority.
00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:12.720
So you you mentioned the medical records and all that are already in place.
00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:16.880
So that that work is already taken care of and it's just much simpler than that.
00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:19.359
Well, I cause it's a what I call a warm handoff, right?
00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:25.920
You know, so you know, you get referred from the hospital to a nursing home or from a one doctor, and they're not really talking with each other.
00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:35.440
So when you're under one umbrella like what we have in our family of services, you know, you go to palliative care, we're gonna warm hand, you know, warm handoff to the hospice services.
00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:36.720
You're gonna get the records.
00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:41.359
We're you know, sometimes our offices are right across the hall from each other, so you can talk to each other.
00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:43.599
Hey, let me, what what's going on with that patient?
00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:58.000
So I think in medicine that's really important, having those warm handoffs because we know that transitions where people get into problems, when they go from the hospital to, let's say, the nursing home or the nursing home to home, those transitions are the most troublesome.
00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:00.640
And same thing from palliative care to hospice.
00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:03.359
That could be a troublesome transition.
00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:08.400
But if you're in the same company that has these services, that's a much smoother transition.
00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:23.119
And I guess with hospice or palliative care, you can still get those plans of care wherever you are, wherever your your place of residency is, or whether it's your home, a nursing home, uh AOF, or uh even the hospital like that.
00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:36.559
One of the things that I would like to ask about that uh we haven't touched on yet is some more of the specifics and exactly the different services provided under palliative care versus under hospice care.
00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:39.440
Could could you could y'all give us some specifics, please?
00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:40.319
Sure.
00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:46.400
Yeah, so I think the one of the thing is hi palliative care is really a practice, and hospice is a program.
00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:46.559
Okay.
00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:49.279
And I think that's what one of the things you've got to differentiate here.
00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:55.920
So it is a program with multiple so for hospice, it's a program that's multiple services that are paid for.
00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:02.480
Such as could you give it a CNA's, okay, respite care, medications, DME equipment.
00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:05.119
So medications and DME equipment are paid for each other.
00:21:05.359 --> 00:21:07.680
All covered under the hospice benefit, right?
00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:09.680
So it's a very comprehensive program.
00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:14.960
It's probably one of the most comprehensive programs the government has ever set up.
00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:21.920
And so you get all these nurses' visits and you get uh, you know, 24-7 or somebody's coming out your house in the middle of the night.
00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:24.079
Now compare that to palliative care.
00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:29.359
And I'll be honest with you, here's the one I gotta say about hospice is very regulated by the government.
00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:32.000
They have to follow very strict rules.
00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:34.720
Palliative care is very unregulated.
00:21:34.799 --> 00:21:52.960
And when you well we say if you've seen one palliative care program, you've seen one palliative care program because one program may do it this way, and there's no really set rules how to do palliative care, but but you gotta think of it as a practice, and so traditionally the practice is just like when you go to your cardiologist or you go to your primary care doctor.
00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:59.599
You that provider's there, they're gonna provide a service, the palliative care services, but it's not include the DME.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:04.960
Does not include the medications because it's a practice and not a program.
00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:09.119
And so uh I always say that hospice is the Cadillac.
00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:13.039
My daughter would say is the Tesla, I guess what I say now.
00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:15.440
Uh, but it is uh more comprehensive.
00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:25.119
Palliative care is has a lot of the same uh uh that we have private providers, but we do not have a lot of the other services because there's no palliative care benefit.
00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:32.960
There's a hospice benefit, but not, and so it acts more like a private practice, and that's just kind of the difference.
00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:39.680
And I'll be honest with you, it confuses people even here because sometimes um we'll discharge a hospice patient, right?
00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:47.839
And they have the all these services, and we'll bring them on to palliative care because think about it, one out of every five hospice patients in our organization gets discharged alive.
00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:48.319
Really?
00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:53.279
Yeah, okay, and so uh, and that's most people don't understand that you can get out of hospice alive.
00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:55.920
And part of that is sometimes you just do better, right?
00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:04.960
You you get all this great care, and and and things are better, and so they'll come into our palliative care program and they're thinking, palliative care, oh, when's my CNA coming?
00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:07.200
Well, they're not, we don't have that, you know.
00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:17.119
That's a hospice benefit, but don't have that, and so sometimes it can be you know a little upsetting to patients to think they're transitioning to uh a program that would have the same kind of services.
00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:20.240
But there's I mean, but palliative care does a lot of great work.
00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:27.200
I mean, I'm not saying not discounting the work, it does a lot of great work with advanced care planning, and they're available 24-7.
00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:29.839
So our team uh is available.
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:35.359
You call, you're anytime you call, you're gonna get somebody on the phone, a practitioner who's gonna answer your questions.
00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:45.440
So uh so and so they do act a lot of times really either on the front end to transition you, but a lot of times on the back end of hospice, they can be a transition, you know, too as well.
00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:51.759
So that before we had palliative care, we would discharge a patient from hospice and we would leave them with nothing, right?
00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:55.200
They would say, Oh, you go back to your doctor, go back to this.
00:23:55.519 --> 00:23:58.079
But they did not get all the what I call the gaps.
00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:03.440
There is a lot of gaps, things like advanced care planning, and let's talk about your emotional and spiritual health.
00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:05.519
We still do that in palliative care.
00:24:05.759 --> 00:24:11.920
We just don't have it with all the dinner dysciane team that maybe the hospice program does.
00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:12.319
Yeah.
00:24:12.799 --> 00:24:18.799
So what is the optimal time to transition from a palliative care program?
00:24:19.200 --> 00:24:25.519
And let's say it's that it's it's a life-elming illness and there's we know what the outcome is going to be.
00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:27.759
What what's the best time to transition?
00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:29.279
Nikki, you want to answer that?
00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:30.079
Absolutely.
00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:46.480
What we see is when patients establish a six-month trajectory and when they can utilize that interdisciplinary team, when care exceeds and needs additional aids and nursing staff with hospice, we want to create a smooth transition so that they get that benefit from an interdisciplinary team.
00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:46.880
Okay.
00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:51.680
And that palliative care team, all along, is kind of following you along.
00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:57.519
And we can document things that are going on, like functional decline, cognitive decline.
00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:07.359
And so the great thing about it is that provider who's seeing you, maybe seeing you over the last three or four months, and can really see, like, oh, things are kind of not going the right way.
00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:15.759
And somewhere along that in a visit, they they kind of see, okay, we're at a point now where hospice could be an option.
00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:19.599
And they're probably already discussing it with you along the way, but they're they're not pushing you into it.
00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:23.119
I push you in and saying, hey, this is probably going to be an option in the future.
00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:28.960
One of my jobs, one of the things that I do as a provider is say, Hey, you know, at that point, I'll let you know.
00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:47.200
I'll let you know when you're falling into that six-month window, and then we can have a different conversation, and we'll have a conversation about hospice, and then you know, but but the thing is, is what happens in the world without palliative care, you get treatment, treatment, treatment, and one day somebody comes in and says, You're hospice, right?
00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:53.839
Chemo, chemo, chemo, whatever you're getting, and it's just a 180 like that.
00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:56.559
That is what we know that is traumatic.
00:25:56.720 --> 00:26:02.480
That can cause a lot of PTSD when patients have to make that 180 switch.
00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:10.480
But if you can ramp up to that, start having smaller conversations in the six months before that time comes, instead of all in one day it hits you.
00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:12.480
You've had a little time to prepare.
00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:14.160
You had a little time to think about it.
00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:14.880
And caregivers.
00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:15.519
Caregivers.
00:26:15.839 --> 00:26:17.279
That's what I'm saying, patients and caregivers.
00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:24.960
And so when that time does come, you've got now a person you trust who's kind of led you along the way.
00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:28.720
Come the conversation is kind of thinking about that in the future.
00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:31.759
And when that time gets here, it's not overwhelming, right?
00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:38.799
It's not like you show up at your doctor's thinking you're gonna get treatment today, and now they're saying you need hospice.
00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:39.200
Right.
00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:47.759
That is, I can't tell you how burdensome and heavy that is to someone to get that news that quickly.
00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:53.839
And uh, without palliative care, I'll be honest with you, that is the normal way that that happens.
00:26:54.079 --> 00:26:58.880
So palliative care changes what's normal to something I think better and improved.
00:26:59.119 --> 00:26:59.759
Awesome.
00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:06.400
And to excuse me, to learn more about this, uh, I just want to let everyone know, and I'm sure you can agree.
00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:16.400
Uh, you can go to lifetouchhealth.org, uh, click on the number to call, you can click on the contact us, email if you're uncomfortable talking to someone, and someone will be getting back in touch with you.
00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:17.759
That's a good place to get in.
00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:19.200
All right, well, thank you so much.
00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:22.079
And we're gonna take a quick break and we'll be right back.
00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:30.319
Healthcare is changing, and Arkansas hospice is changing too, impacting more lives in more ways.
00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:37.359
Since 1992, our trusted team has grown into the state's largest nonprofit provider of hospice care.
00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:47.359
Now we've expanded our services into personal care, primary care, and palliative care, all with a new name, Life Touch Health.
00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:52.240
Because when patients and families need more from us, we become more for you.
00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:53.839
Life Touch Health.
00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:56.480
Welcome back.
00:27:56.720 --> 00:28:03.039
And right now, for this final segment of this episode, uh, we're gonna have a little bit of fun and talk about an upcoming event we have.
00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:07.039
Uh, but not to say it all first, I'm gonna let these uh people tell us about it.
00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:11.200
We have uh our Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer, Dr.
00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:18.559
Kim Kirkman, and also from the uh Life Touch Health Foundation, we have our events coordinator, Margaret Willis.
00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:19.839
Thank you for having us today.
00:28:20.160 --> 00:28:20.480
Okay.
00:28:21.039 --> 00:28:28.240
So uh for the listeners and watchers that may not be familiar, can you share a little bit about the big event we have coming up?
00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:28.880
Sure.
00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:30.160
We're very excited.
00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:47.359
We have one signature event every year, and it's called Party at the Plaza, and it is on April 25th this year, and we are extremely excited to be able to support the mission of our of the mission of Life Touch Health and all of the things that we're able to do with with the revenue.
00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:47.920
Okay.
00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:49.839
Uh Margaret, do you want to expand on that?
00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:50.880
Sure, sure.
00:28:50.960 --> 00:29:00.720
So Party at the Plaza is coming up uh this next Saturday, April 25th, at um Argenta Plaza here in North Little Rock, and it's a community event.
00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:08.079
Uh, first and foremost, it's free to the community, but we also celebrate our donors and our employees there as well.
00:29:08.319 --> 00:29:11.039
It's um a music festival with five bands.
00:29:11.119 --> 00:29:21.279
We have headliner Chris Allen and um Bluegrass and Comedy Group, the Cleverleys, um, four or five other bands throughout the day.
00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:24.960
So the event starts at 1:30 and it's free to the public.
00:29:25.119 --> 00:29:27.440
And just come on out and have a good time.
00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:28.000
Awesome.
00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:30.960
Well, I know that the primary focus is music.
00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:36.319
Party in and of itself, it says it in the in the uh word and in the title of it.
00:29:36.400 --> 00:29:38.480
What about events family-friendly events?
00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:41.119
What what other kind of things do we have going on there for that?
00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:49.279
Well, we have a care fair, and that um has some displays of some of other of our lines of care.
00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:58.400
Um, we also have adjacent lines of care um that will be represented so that you can get a full range of what is needed in the aging process.
00:29:58.559 --> 00:30:08.559
We have a fun um kid zone, face painting, bounce houses, and all sorts of princesses and superheroes that are in attendance.
00:30:08.720 --> 00:30:12.160
Um there are some craft type um booths as well.
00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:14.240
Oh, well, I forgot to mention food.
00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:14.960
There's food trucks.
00:30:15.279 --> 00:30:16.000
I forgot to talk about that.
00:30:16.400 --> 00:30:23.759
Got to talk about some great Arkansas food trucks that'll be there and um available for anybody that wants those as well, and beverages.
00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:24.240
Okay.
00:30:24.400 --> 00:30:29.680
And from what I understand, uh it's uh come as you are, very free-flowing, casual.
00:30:29.839 --> 00:30:32.400
Put on your cap, sunglasses, wear your sunglasses.
00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:34.480
Yeah, you can bring your launch here.
00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:38.079
But uh, are there any VIP ticket experiences available?
00:30:38.319 --> 00:30:38.640
Yes.
00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:44.160
Um, one of the really fun ways that you can experience this is through our VIP process.
00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:54.880
And it is a um$150 per ticket, and you get uh snacks all day, beverages, adult beverages, and a full meal for dinner.
00:30:55.119 --> 00:31:03.279
So it's part of um we've added that for people that just want to come and enjoy the day and get to have a VIP experience.
00:31:03.519 --> 00:31:05.039
Yes, and tickets are still available?
00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:09.519
Yes, okay, and then uh what does the support from this event?
00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:24.319
I know that I understand it it's sponsorships that are the the primary uh uh funding mechanism, but what what how does participation in this event, both by attending and our sponsors, what does it do for the mission of Life Touch Health?
00:31:24.559 --> 00:31:25.359
That's a great question.
00:31:25.519 --> 00:31:37.359
One thing I would like to say is most events like this the organization hopes to break even, but we actually raise funds that we are able to use in the foundation.
00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:44.799
We do have a cost to put an event on, as you can imagine, but we do exponentially make have more money to be able to use for patients.
00:31:44.880 --> 00:32:04.160
And some of the things we get to do for patients, um, we have patients that have other needs besides their medical needs, their insurance, Medicare, Medicaid pay for those medical needs, but people will often have a caregiver that has to stop working because they're caring for the patient and their income is affected that way.
00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:10.960
And so we've helped people with um nutrition, with insure or um food for their family.
00:32:11.119 --> 00:32:25.200
We help people with emergency utility service when they get behind, and you know, it's it's a crisis a lot of times when people are at the end of life, and we want to make this experience the best that we can for people.
00:32:25.279 --> 00:32:29.599
And so we're very generous to be able to help our patients in uh many, many ways.
00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:30.240
Okay.
00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:34.000
And then how would uh well let's talk about the the time?
00:32:34.160 --> 00:32:34.880
Do we mention the time?
00:32:35.039 --> 00:32:35.680
1 30 p.m.
00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:36.960
I believe 1 30 p.m.
00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:38.319
till about 10 p.m.
00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:42.160
And you can come, you know, you don't have to come and stay the whole night.
00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:46.000
You can come for the meal, you can come for food trucks and enjoy the music.
00:32:46.079 --> 00:32:51.359
So and then uh this is an annual event, it's the fifth year, from what I understand.
00:32:51.599 --> 00:33:00.559
So one of the things that I would like to share is that uh in case someone's watching this podcast, after the event has already happened, you can already you can go ahead and start planning for year six.
00:33:00.640 --> 00:33:03.759
Uh, we have a website that's up full time on it.
00:33:03.839 --> 00:33:04.880
Barbara, you want to tell us about it?
00:33:05.279 --> 00:33:06.640
Party at the plaza.org.
00:33:06.799 --> 00:33:09.200
There's all sorts of sponsorship um opportunities.
00:33:09.279 --> 00:33:16.400
We have a huge video wall um that we promote sponsors on throughout the event and as well as our website as well.
00:33:16.480 --> 00:33:25.279
So there's lots of sponsorship opportunities, lots of ways you can honor uh and memorialize loved ones on a memorial wall.
00:33:25.519 --> 00:33:31.599
And we also give um an award out every year to our Compass Award winner.
00:33:31.759 --> 00:33:38.240
Um this year it's Sharon Davis, and you can become a friend of Sharon or whoever's next next year as well.
00:33:38.319 --> 00:33:42.240
And so there's lots of ways to get involved and to support this event.
00:33:42.319 --> 00:33:45.440
And you can volunteer if you just want to give your time.
00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:47.599
Um, we would love to have volunteers as well.
00:33:47.839 --> 00:33:50.079
It's just another way of touching lives, isn't it?
00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:50.559
Okay.
00:33:50.799 --> 00:33:52.720
Well, thank you for both being on here today.
00:33:52.880 --> 00:33:56.799
This it's great to uh wrap up this segment of our podcast with it.
00:33:56.960 --> 00:33:58.880
And I want to thank everyone who watched.
00:33:59.039 --> 00:34:05.759
I want to ask you to make sure that if you're watching on YouTube, go and subscribe to our channel, share this with other people.
00:34:05.920 --> 00:34:11.519
If you're listening online, uh from whichever platform you listen to podcasts on, please share with others.
00:34:11.760 --> 00:34:15.199
Thank you so much for uh you're watching and listening, and we'll see you again soon.
00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:16.400
Thanks a lot.
