Plan ahead for health care decisions
National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16. It is a reminder to take the time to review and update your advance directives, and if you don’t have any in place, we recommend Five Wishes as a tool to aid in the process.
Have you ever had to make care decisions for someone else? It is a task that can be very difficult, but also rewarding if the decision-maker knows they are honoring their loved one’s wishes.
Advance care planning is the process of making and discussing decisions about the medical care and treatments you would want or not want at the end of life, and choosing a decision-maker who will speak for you if you ever become too sick or injured to communicate for yourself. It is an opportunity to allow your voice to be heard even when you cannot express your wishes on your own.
This is an ongoing process that should begin at age 18 and be revisited as you experience changes in your health, your closest support system and what matters most to you. Advance care planning is a gift for loved ones and health care providers, preparing them to make decisions based on your choices and priorities.
According to a landmark report from the Institute of Medicine (2014), 70 percent of older adults who need to make medical treatment decisions are unable to do so for themselves. A comprehensive review of studies on advance care planning (Yadav et al., 2017) found that only about one-third of U.S. adults had documented their end-of-life care preferences to help guide their loved ones and doctors. However, about 80 percent of Americans agree that these conversations are important (Genewick et al., 2018).
Five Wishes is a guide that helps you think about and communicate what matters most to you. Once properly completed and signed, it becomes a legal document. Inspired by Mother Teresa’s work with people who are dying, it is written with clear, easy-to-follow instructions and thoughtful suggestions. Five Wishes was created by the nonprofit organization Aging with Dignity, with assistance from the American Bar Association and health care experts.
Five Wishes addresses:
1. Choosing the person you want to make health care decisions for you when you cannot make them for yourself
2. The kind of medical treatment you want or do not want (living will)
3. How comfortable you want to be
4. How you want people to treat you
5. What you want your loved ones to know
Unique to Five Wishes are wishes 3, 4 and 5. These wishes are especially meaningful to loved ones, who may not know what to do when someone they care for is very ill and dying. They may not know how to help or provide comfort. These wishes provide insight into what is comforting to that person and offer simple ideas to help ease the way.
LanelleLaNelle Fabian, Director of Community Engagement, at FRIENDS of Caroline is a Certified Presenter of Five Wishes and offers presentations free to the community. Presentations are available to groups of any size including employees, churches, book clubs/wine & cheese with friends, and community gatherings. If you are interested in learning more and booking a presentation, please contact LaNelle at 843-525-6257 or lanelle@fochospice.org.
