April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day. In a public presentation sponsored by the Berkshire End-of-Life Network, Linda Bryce will explain advance health care directives and why they are so important at the end of life. The meeting will be on Monday, April 16, from 2-3:30pm at the Mason Library Community Room.

Guess what? 100% of us will die! But most of us dodge the conversation about our wishes at the end of life. The result can be family conflicts, turmoil, unwanted medical interventions, and suffering that might have been avoided.

Linda Bryce will break it down so you can take charge of your own final act. She will explain advance care directives, living wills, and the 5 Wishes you need to clarify. She will suggest how to choose your healthcare proxy, because someone will have to speak for you if you are unable to speak for yourself; why you need to define your values, so decisions aren’t just about procedures; and how to share this with your loved ones before it’s too late.

And, it’s never too early to fill out your advance care directives and have those conversations.

Linda Bryce is an attorney, bedside singer to the dying and author of the #1 Amazon bestseller and award-winning book, The Courage to Care: Being Fully Present with the Dying. Her experience includes end-of-life issues.

For more information contact Bess Dillman at 413-528-7974 or elizabeth.dillman@gmail.com.