COOPERSTOWN — Bassett Healthcare Network and Helios Care will host a conversation with Sallie Tisdale, best-selling author of “Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them)” on Thursday, April 6, at 6 p.m.

The town hall event will take place in Bassett Medical Center’s Clark Auditorium in Cooperstown. Participants may also attend via Zoom. Tisdale will be holding an upbeat discussion about the importance of establishing advance care directives such as a Health Care Proxy or a Living Will — and how to approach these conversations with loved ones. Visit www.bassett.org or Bassett’s Facebook page for details, including the Zoom link and toll-free dialing information.

Bassett and Helios are offering this event in anticipation of National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD), which is April 16. On NHDD, people of all ages are encouraged to establish, review, or update their advance care directives to ensure that their wishes are accurately reflected in these important documents. 

People sometimes avoid establishing advance care directives because they think they may lead to emotionally difficult decisions and discussions. Using kindness and wit, Ms. Tisdale will cover why these documents are too important to put off and offer suggestions about how to overcome any reluctance.