Page 16 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, June 19, 2020 BUDGET | FROM PAGE 3 avvyavvya y niorvy Seniiooor vy ion r iori by Jim Miller What to Know About Advance Care Planning in the Age of Coronavirus Dear Savvy Senior, All this horrible coronavirus carnage got me thinking about my own end-of-life decisions if I were to get sick. Can you recommend some good resources that can help me create a living will or advance directive, or other pertinent documents? I’ve put it off long enough. Almost 70 Dear Almost, Creating a living will (also known as an advance directive) is one of those things most people plan to do, but rarely get around to actually doing. Only about one-third of Americans currently have one. But the cold hard reality of the novel coronavirus may be changing that. Here’s what you should know along with some resources to help you create an advance directive. Advance Directives To adequately spell out your wishes regarding your end-oflife medical treatment are two key documents: A “living will” which tells your doctor what kind of care you want to receive if you become incapacitated, and a “health care power of attorney” (or health care proxy), which names a person you authorize to make medical decisions on your behalf if you become unable to. These two documents are known as an “advance directive,” and will only be utilized if you are too ill to make medical decisions yourself. You can also change or update it whenever you please. It isn’t necessary to hire a lawyer to prepare an advance directive. There are free or low-cost resources available today to help you create one, and it takes only a few minutes from start to fi nish. One that I highly recommend that’s completely free to use is My Directives (MyDirectives.com). This is an online tool and mobile app that will help you create, store and share a detailed, customized digital advance directive. Their easy-touse platform combines eight thoughtful questions to guide you through the process. If you’re not computer savvy, ask a family member or trusted friend to help you. The advantage of having a digital advance directive versus a paper document is being able to access it quickly and easily via smartphone, which is crucial in emergency situations when they’re most often needed. If, however, you’d rather have a paper document, one of the best do-it-yourself options is the Five Wishes advance directive (they off er online forms too). Created by Aging with Dignity, a nonprofi t advocacy organization, Five Wishes costs $5, and is available in many languages. To learn more or to receive a copy, visit FiveWishes.org or call 850-681-2010. Another tool you should know about that will compliment your advance directive is the Physician Orders for LifeSustaining Treatment, or POLST (sometimes called Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, or MOLST). A POLST form translates your end-of-life wishes into medical orders to be honored by your doctors. To learn more about your state’s program or set one up, see POLST.org. Readers should also know that if you’ve already prepared an advanced directive paper document, a POLST form or the VA advance directive form 10-0137, you can upload, store and share these documents too at MyDirectives.com. Finally, to ensure your fi nal wishes are followed, make sure to tell your family members, health care proxy and doctors. If you make a digital advance directive or have uploaded your existing forms, you can easily share them electronically to everyone involved. Or, if you make a paper advance directive that isn’t uploaded, you should provide everyone copies to help prevent stress and arguments later. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. As the city moves forward, Molis said, it’s important to make sure that the police chief and the community share the same values and expectations. Rules need to be abundantly clear and the hiring process is critical. Molis also stressed the need to have a clear process in place for citizens to submit complaints about their interactions with the police. Anderson also questioned whether some police activities could be shifted to people who don’t have a badge and a gun. “How do we look at things best suited for the police?” he asked. “Putting cops in confrontation with the community is a problem,” said Molis. “Ordinances that are oppressive to poor people lead to police being identifi ed as oppressive,” he said. “We have not invested solving in health, social and economic problems, and we leave the police to pick up the pieces,” he said. Molis said incidents that involve mental health and substance abuse emergencies, family disputes and homelessness will always involve an initial intervention by the police. “A regular relationship with social service providers would be a great thing,” said Molis, who added that police repeatedly respond to individuals and families coping with those problems. He said providing outreach and services to those residents is the better strategy. “The best thing for any city, family or police department is when someone turns their life around,” he said. “It’s an uplifting thing for a cop who does his job for the right reasons.” Ward 2 Councillor Paul Condon asked about police interactions with Malden youths. Molis said cops constantly interact with kids both formally and informally. “It’s what they do,” said Molis. “They don’t have to be ordered to do it. Their philosophy allows them to become mentors and role models.” In addition to everyday interactions with kids on streets and athletic fi elds, Molis said, a police offi cer is assigned to the high school and the department has an active relationship with the Recreation Department. Ward 5 Councillor Barbara Murphy asked about police training and if a level-funded budget would force cuts in that area. Molis said police attend ~ Legal Notice ~ Invitation to Bid Malden Redevelopment Authority Construction of Trafton Park Improvements Notice to Bidders The Malden Redevelopment Authority invites the submission of sealed bids for the construction of park improvements consisting of site preparation and demolition, erosion and sedimentation control, drainage improvements, pedestrian paving, new playground equipment and poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing, porous and peastone surfacing, pre-cast and cast-in-place concrete curbing, timber edging, chain link fencing and gates, site furnishings, dugout structures, park sign, and landscaping. These improvements are to be constructed at the playground, ballfield and dog park located in Trafton Park at Granite and Jacob Streets in Malden, MA. BID OPENING will be held on Monday, July 13, 2020 at 2:00pm at the Malden Redevelopment Authority, 17 Pleasant Street, 3rd Floor, Malden, MA 02148. NO BIDDERS SHALL BE PRESENT AT THE BID OPENING DUE TO PANDEMIC SAFETY REQUIREMENTS. A Bid Summary will be made available to all Bidders, and other persons properly interested, within four (4) hours of the Bid Opening. Plans, specifications and all other bid documents may be obtained electronically from the Malden Redevelopment Authority beginning Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at 10:00am. Requests for electronic files may be made to Alex Pratt, Malden Redevelopment Authority, at (781) 661-8168 or apratt@maldenredevelopment.com. A pre-bid meeting will be held on Friday, June 26 at 10am in Trafton Park at the corner of Granite and Jacob Streets. ALL COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS REQUIRED BY THE CITY OF MALDEN SHALL BE FOLLOWED. All sealed proposals must be Hard Copy and be delivered to the Malden Redevelopment Authority Office prior to the BID OPENING, as stated above. Bids shall be delivered to the Malden Redevelopment Authority at 17 Pleasant Street in Malden during these hours: Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00am and 4:00pm and Friday between the hours of 8:00am and 12 noon until bids are due. The bidder assumes the risk of any delay due to mail or other delivery. Bids received after the official BID OPENING will be returned unopened. The Malden Redevelopment Authority reserves the right to waive any informalities in Bids, to reject any or all Bids, or to accept any Bid that in their judgment will be in the best interest of the City. June 19, 2020 40 hours of mandatory training each year as well as additional training funded by grants. “The curriculum evolves depending on current issues,” he said, adding that de-escalation, crisis intervention and identifying implicit bias have been woven into mandatory training. Murphy also asked about the use of body cameras. Molis said he is not philosophically opposed to cameras but added there is a cost for the equipment as well as the need to negotiate the use of cameras with the police unions. Councillor-at-Large Debbie DeMaria asked Molis if he would be open to more transparency through a citizens’ review board. Molis said he is open to more transparency through an opendoor policy for conversations with residents. He said a review board would require a more formal conversation about responsibilities and guidelines. “I think the more people who come to know who we are and what we are about will come away with a better feeling about the city they live in and who is out there doing their best to protect them,” said Molis. “I think this will be won or lost through the relationships we build.”
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