Althea P Halchuck

EJD, CT, BCPA
Ending Well! Patient Advocacy, LLC
Althea P
legacy member

Althea P Halchuck

EJD, CT, BCPA
Ending Well! Patient Advocacy, LLC
Advocate Location
Fountain Hills , AZ 85268
Specialty
Medical Guidance
Other Services
Special Care & Aging
TeleAdvocacy Available
Offers FREE Initial Consultation
Call Advocate Email Advocate
*Greater National Advocates Terms of Use Apply
How I Can Help
* Are you or a loved one at the crossroads of an end-of-life crisis?
* Are your medical wishes not being honored? I will advocate for you!!!
* Since 2003, I have been a practicing mediator with extensive experience in adult family and end-of-life issues.
* For 7 years, I was an ombudsman, visiting hundreds of long-term care facilities and advocating for seniors.
* I am a Doula & can help with end-of-life issues, such as Advance Planning and finding estranged relatives.
* A long-time hospice volunteer, I have been honored to sit at the bedside of many dying patients.

* Call me today for a free half-hour consultation. (978)-618-7150
Important Information About Me
  • I offer a FREE Initial Consultation
  • I offer TeleAdvocacy Service
  • I am insured
  • My geographical area of practice is Fountain Hills, Scottsdale, Mesa, & Gilbert AZ, the USA
Why I Became A Professional Health Care Advocate
My Aunt, Rita, was my favorite aunt. She was single and fun and had a million friends. She had polio as a young adult, and although she had a deformed foot, she lived her life to the fullest. She resided in "independent living" in Cambridge, MA, for many years. She made her own decisions and did so until the day she died. She started to decline in her late 80's. Although she could still live on her own, she had a host of ailments, including diabetes & macular degeneration. At this point, she gave me a POA for financial & health care, even though I lived in Arizona. I had many "discussions" with her PCP over a litany of issues. Most of my interactions with her providers were by phone; they usually did as we asked. At 92, Rita developed colon cancer and immediately went into hospice. I cared for her until she died. Rita had her affairs in order, including her paid-for funeral arrangements, recorded in her Advance Care Directive. RIP, Auntie.
Contact Advocate
Formal Education
EJD (Executive Juris Doctor) Health Law: Concord Law School (Purdue Global) - 2012

BA: University of Mass, Boston, MA. 1973
Additional Skills
* I give options and guidance to people who are medical proxies for a loved one.
* If you get pushback from staff or a hospice over pain meds in the ICU or over a DNR, I can advocate for you.
* I am a practicing end-of-life Doula sitting vigil at the bedside of dying patients.
* I have been a mediator since 2003, specializing in civil and family issues at the end of life.
* I earned my Executive Juris Doctor in health law in 2012, & did my internship at a Pediatric Hospice.
Professional Affiliations
CERTIFICATIONS & TRAINING:
 BCPA: Board-Certified Patient Advocate: 2020 > Present
 Certificate in End-of-Life Care: 19 hours, 2023
 CT: Certified Thanatologist: 2016 > Present (Assn Death Education & Counseling)
 Doula Proficiency Badge: NEDA - Nat'l EOL Doula Alliance
 Long-Term Care Ombud - 2005-2012
 Clinical Bioethics Immersion Training: Washington Medstar Hosp, DC (40 Hrs) 2013
 Kaiser Permanente: 2012-2014: Bioethics
 Doula Vigil Training: International End-of-Life Doula Association (INELDA): 2017
 Understanding Death & Dying: Mesa Community College - 3 credits: 2016
 Conflict Resolution/Mediation: 2003 to 2020: Family, End-of-life, Consumer, Med Malpractice
 Hospice Volunteer (bedside): 2005 to Present
 End-of-life Counseling: Advance Care Directives & Living Wills, "Do Not Resuscitate/Do Not Intubate,"
Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare.

PRESENTATIONS:
 Advance Care Directives: "Get Ready to Go"
 Who Will Speak for You? A Guide to a Peaceful Ending
 Wrongful Prolongation of Life Cases: Providers Beware
 How to Legally Die in Arizona: A Practical Guide
 Becoming the Peacemaker: A Mediator's Strategies for
Conflict Resolution in Clinical and Family Meetings
 "Volunteering in the Valley of the Shadow of Death"
 "Successful Mediation Strategies": Concord Law School - Panelist: 2016
 "Medical Aid in Dying": Compassion & Choices Forum, AZ Statehouse - Panel Moderator 2016
"My Life, My Death, My Choice": Nat'l Association of Social Workers, AZ: Co-presenter: 2016

MEMBERSHIPS:
 Nat'l EOL Doula Alliance (NEDA)
 Assoc'n for Death Ed & Counseling (ADEC)
 Alliance of Profess'l Health Advocates (APHA)
 Maricopa Cty Assoc'n Family Mediators (MCAFM)
 Arizona Bioethics Network (ABN)
 Nat'l Hospice & Palliative Care (NHPCO)
 AZ Hospice and Palliative Care (AZ-HPCO)