Why is planning important?

Several things have happened in the last few weeks that made me reflect on our lives here in Panajachel, Santa Cruz and neighboring towns.

To begin with, two friends recently died here at the lake and two or three more have been ailing or are post operative. Most recently, I had a random visit with a friend who is suffering from the effects of advanced osteoporosis.

This friend laughed at me when I launched into a diatribe about the need for her to gather together important papers, documents, and people. But I was speaking from recent experience: the time to attend to affairs is now! Before death. Before getting sick or having an accident that lands us in the hospital or unable to think clearly or get around.

Consider: if we don’t attend to these issues now, what happens? Who will pay s for our doctors or drivers or foods or meds if nobody has access to our debit card PINS or bank accounts when we can’t think straight? How will our relatives be notified if nobody knows how to reach them? How will doctors or hospitals care for us if we haven’t authorized somebody to make decisions for us when we are unable to? Do we want to be cremated or buried? Do we want life-saving measures or not? The time to ask and answer these questions is now, while we’re healthy and standing.

So what to do? First, figure out who you love and trust enough to advocate for your wishes. Secondly, create detailed lists and work with lawyers to have documents written up, signed and notarized. You need to have lists of account numbers, PIN numbers, contact information, insurance information and advance directives and any other information that will let your caregivers and doctors know how you want to be treated and cared for going forward.

And you need at least one local person who knows where to find your lists.

A group of us in Panajachel has reactivated what used to be called Victoria’s Circle and what we’re now calling Panajachel Community Care. As before, we’re here to provide support and care to lake-area community members (you!) who are ailing, sick, post operative, dying or otherwise needing health-related care. We can help you find people to shop or cook for you if that’s what you need. We have equipment we can lend out such as walkers, wheelchairs and portable toilets. And we can provide information about all those essential papers you’ll want to deal with.

We’re in the process of scheduling a series of community meetings to discuss all of this in detail and to provide lists and templates to help you get started. Talking things over with other people can be very helpful in finding out and making decisions about life and death matters. We’ll have a knowledgeable attorney at at least one of these meetings.

And don’t think this applies only to old folks. Every one of us who has been on the lake for a while knows someone in the peak of youthful health who was unexpectedly injured or who died, whether from a boating, bike or moto accident, from some freak accident or dengue or from getting lost on a hiking trail. It happens. Death and injury don’t just happen to the old. Alas.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or you need someone to help translate with a doc or a lawyer while you work things out, let me know and someone in our group will reach out to you. We’re definitely all in this together! We must be.

With great love for the community, Debra and the Panajachel Community Care circle of friends.

Mina Orenstein, Patricia Mort, Linda Williams, Kathleen MacRae