Helping You Clarify Your End of Life Wishes

We do not have control over the end of our days, but ignoring that they are coming means we do not take steps to prepare. Letting those closest to you know what your wishes would be if you were facing a medical crisis from which you might not recover can be a tremendous relief. But where do we start?

These are some of the Advance Directives you should consider: A Health Care Proxy, A Living Will, and A Do Not Resuscitate Order.  If you have already made these decisions with you attorney or elder care lawyer, review those documents from time to time. If you have not made these decisions, or have not talked with your family or those closest to you, this is a good place to start. 

The best place to get excellent information about Advance Directive is through Assuring Your Wishes. This website gives you clear, simple documents for making your wishes known so that you will receive the care you want. This website includes information and forms for creating a Living Will and for establishing a Health Care Proxy. Once you complete these important documents, you can give copies to your loved ones and to your primary care physician.

Mail a copy of these documents to Assuring Your Wishes where they will be uploaded to the Assuring Your Wishes website. They can only be accessed by people to whom you give your password for your information with Assuring Your Wishes. 

Please go through the Assuring Your Wishes website from the start so that you can benefit from the information presented here to guide you and help you. Assuring Your Wishes is a service provided by United Hospice free of charge. They are grateful for donations, but they do not require them. If you have already prepared these documents with your attorney, you can ask your attorney to upload them to the Assuring Your Wishes website. It is secure.

• The Conversation Project - How to plan for conversations about your health care wishes, including how to sort out for yourself what your wishes are.