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End-of-Life Care Planning |
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It is never too soon to discuss your plans for end-of-life care. Having a plan in place eases burdens on your caregivers and helps ensure that you receive the type of care you would like at the end of life.
If you have already been diagnosed with a chronic illness, find out all you can about the disease so that you know what to expect as the illness progresses.
How to Start a Conversation
Talking about end of life is never easy. Listed below are some tips to start this conversation.
- Start with a story of someone else's experience.
For example: "I just helped my co-worker as her mother was ill. She had so many questions and felt so alone. She wanted to do the right thing to respect her mother's wishes, but they had never talked about it. The uncertainty added to her stress. I don't want that to happen with us."
- You can also take a story from the headlines.
For example: Terry Schiavo's case generated many questions and discussions about end-of-life wishes and types of care.
- Use a trusted advisor to help you begin the discussion.
Sometimes it is easier for loved ones to talk about themselves with someone else rather than their children or close caregivers. Bring in a trusted advisor like a family friend, social worker, minister or a geriatric care manager. Refer to the "What is a Geriatric Care Manager?" page on this website to learn more.
Things to Think About
Everybodys preferences for medical care at the end of life are different. For instance, would you want treatment or not in the following examples:
- You no longer recognize or interact with family or friends
- You are in severe, untreatable pain most of the time
- You are on a feeding tube to keep you alive
- You are on machines to keep you alive
- You need 24-hour care
Other Things to Consider
- Do you want to be an organ donor? Did you sign a form expressing your wishes regarding organ donation?
- Are your legal documents in order? Does a family member or trusted advisor know where the documents are kept?
- Do you have a will or trust? Is it current?
- Do you have a living will and durable power of attorney for medical decisions?
- Do you have final arrangements settled? Do you have a pre-paid cemetery plot or do you want to be cremated? Does your family know your final wishes?
Help With Talking about Your Wishes
An excellent tool to generate a discussion for you and a loved one is called Five Wishes. This document lets your family and doctors know:
- Which person you want to make health care decisions for you when you can't make them.
- The kind of medical treatment you want or don't want.
- How comfortable you want to be.
- How you want people to treat you.
- What you want your loved ones to know.
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