General News
22 March, 2023
Survivor advocates planning ahead
AFTER a horror truck crash resulted in the amputation of his leg and almost claimed his life, Paul Edge knows how important it is to have difficult conversations surrounding future care.
AFTER a horror truck crash resulted in the amputation of his leg and almost claimed his life, Paul Edge knows how important it is to have difficult conversations surrounding future care.
Mr Edge and his wife Marg are among those raising awareness this week for advance care as part of National Advance Care Planning Week.
Advance care planning gives a person the opportunity to express their future health care preferences in the event they become critically ill or injured, and cannot speak or make decisions for themselves.
Mr Edge knows the importance of planning ahead after his life changed in a truck crash in 2018.
He doesn’t remember what happened, only waking up in the Alfred Hospital after seven weeks in the intensive care unit.
“I was driving a truck and ran in to the back of another truck at the Cudgee overpass in December 2018,” he said.
“You would wonder how anyone got out of it – I still look at the pictures and I’m amazed.
“The first thing I remember is waking up in the Alfred in February to my right lower leg having been amputated.”
It was a long nine months in hospital before Mr Edge would return home.
He today lives a full life with a prosthetic leg, walking the family’s beloved Husky and enjoying reasonable mobility, but the experience for Marg seeing her husband fight for life was a horrific one plagued by questions of how to best support him.
For Mr Edge, advance care planning is a simple step to ensure some level of peace of mind if the worst happens.
“I was 56 at the time of the accident, and you don’t think about advance care planning at that age,” he said.
“You think you’re still invincible, you’re not going to find yourself dying, but at any age you should have it in place; even if just to take pressure off your family if something does happen.
“Then everyone knows what is going on; nobody is having to ask would he like this, would he not like that.
“There is no need for your loved ones to feel guilty in their decision-making if the worst happens because they’re able to know exactly what you wanted.”
Terang and Mortlake Health Service can assist residents wanting to make their future care plans, with registered nurse Carolynne Leddy and social worker Cathy Harper available to help complete planning at no cost.
Ms Leddy said everyone had different wishes of how they would prefer to be cared for under a diverse range of circumstances, and her job was to ensure consumers have peace of mind in knowing their wishes are known.
“If you’re not in a position to think about your care, the people you nominate are able to use the information to know what you want,” she said.
“Just book in with the health service, come in for a consultation and we will talk about the plan; gathering information to get an idea of who you are, what you do, how active you are, what your lifestyle is about.
“You can provide instructional directives such as if you do not want to be resuscitated, or if you want every possible avenue explored to keep you alive for as long as possible.
“The choice is yours, and my job is to tease out the specifics to make sure I can give people different options.”
To book an appointment to discuss your advance care planning contact Terang and Mortlake Health Service on 5592 0222.
