What Happens When Things Go Wrong?
“Advance care planning” means to have discussions and preparations for future decisions about your medical care, in instances where you become seriously ill or you are unable to communicate your wishes and needs.
The first step is to have intentional conversations with your loved ones – this is the most important part of the process – communicating your wishes so they can speak for you.
Putting these wishes in writing can ease the burden on your loved ones having to make decisions for you, and will ensure no miscommunication. It allows you to share your document with your health care providers, so they are informed and will follow your instructions and wishes.
You can do this by completing a legal document called an Advanced Directive. There are two types of these documents, the Living Will and the Durable Power of Attorney.
A Living Will tells doctors how you want to be treated if you cannot make your own decisions about emergency treatment. You can state which common medical treatments or care you want, which you would not want, and under what circumstances these choices apply.
The Durable Power of Attorney is also a legal document which will name a health care proxy – a person you empower to make health care decisions for you if you are unable to communicate. This person should be familiar with your values and wishes.
These are living documents which should be reviewed at least once a year and updated when life events occur, such as retirement, moving to a different location, or an impactful change in your health.
Advance care planning is not just for older people or those who are ill. At any age a medical crisis could leave you unable to communicate your own wishes. Planning now will help to ensure you get the care you want and someone you trust is there to make decisions for you.
To get started in developing your own plan you can follow these steps:
Carefully consider your values and wishes. Think through what is most important to you at the end of life and in case of medical emergencies.
Talk with your doctor about this. Your medical provider can help you learn about your current care needs and the kinds of decisions you may encounter in the future.
Choose someone you trust to make medical decisions for you and become your health care proxy. This can be a family member, a loved one or your attorney. Once you have chosen your health care proxy be sure to discuss your specific wishes with them.
Complete your Advance Directive forms. You can obtain these through various sources. Your doctor’s office may have copies, your local hospital does and you can obtain them online by visiting the site for your state.
Links for obtaining forms can be found at the websites for AARP, the American Bar Association and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. The local Veterans Affairs office offers one specifically for veterans. You can also go to your state’s site, for instance: search Virginia Advance Directives, and find the document there.
If you spend significant amounts of time in other states, fill out a directive for each state you reside in.
You can tailor your document to your current needs. You do not need to complete all sections, and you are able to write in additional applicable information.
Share your completed forms with your trusted proxy, your doctors, attorneys, hospital and loved ones. Make copies and store them safely. Some states have registries that will store your directives for quick access by health care providers.
Your Advance Directive does not need to be notarized in most states, but it does need to be witnessed, so be sure to check the specifics for your state.
You can also visit the website Five Wishes which will provide an easy to understand document and information about how to complete it.
The MOST important part of preparing for your future needs is for you to decide what your wishes are, and then to discuss them with your loved ones. This can sometimes be a difficult step to initiate, so introduce the subject in a relaxed manner – for instance after watching a medical TV drama you can initiate a conversation by saying whether you would want your care to happen the same way, or state what you think you would want differently. You can engage a friend in the process who can bring the subject up for you by saying they are completing their document, and have you thought about yours.
Allow some time to think about your wishes, communicate them, and write them down to share with your chosen health care proxy. Make sure you allow your proxy the choice of accepting or declining, and have several trusted people in mind.
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
The best way to be sure your values and wishes are clear and will be followed is to make an Advance Directive.
