By Lynda Spence, Family & Consumer Sciences Extension Agent at UF/IFAS Extension-Marion County
Reviewed by Linda Bobroff, PhD, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida
This post is in honor of National Healthcare Decisions Day–today, April 16. Learn more at http://www.nhdd.org/.
Do you know what an advance directive is? Some people refer to it as a “living will.” This is a legal document that tells your loved ones what kind of medical interventions you want and don’t want in case a serious accident or illness leaves you unable to express your wishes yourself.
In 2010, the Associated Press reported that less than 30 percent of Americans had created such a document. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 70 percent of Americans die in a hospital, nursing home or long-term-care facility. Only 25 percent die at home.
Concerns about care at the end of life are as unique as the individual receiving the care. We commonly defer to loved ones and health care providers, hoping beyond hope that they will instinctively know how to carry out our wishes. This shifting of the burden can wreak havoc on survivors’ well-being, negatively impacting relationships and finances at a time when people are also facing the loss of a loved one. April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day—a day set aside to remind us to honor and respect our families and ourselves by documenting our wishes about the end of life.
One way to navigate these complex issues is by using the Five Wishes® materials. Inspired by the work of Mother Teresa, this document:
- Is written in everyday language;
- Promotes peace of mind, eliminating guesswork and guilt
- Gets you the care you want and deserve
The Five Wishes® program helps people express their final wishes in five important areas:
1. Who Will Be My Health Care Agent?
2. Medical Treatments I Do or Do Not Want
3. My Expectations for Comfort Care
4. How I Want People to Treat Me
5. What I Want My Loved Ones to Know
It meets the legal requirements for an advance directive in 42 states (including Florida) and the District of Columbia.
Even if patients have an advance directive, physicians or loved ones may not know about it. According to a 2007 study published in the Critical Care Journal, only 25 percent of physicians knew that their patients had advance directives on file. So, after you have completed your advance directive:
- Provide one to each of your health care providers and loved ones;
- Discuss your wishes;
- Keep the document readily available in your home;
- Carry your wallet card.
Not all health care providers are trained or comfortable talking about end of life issues. If you are approaching the end of life or have concerns about this issue, request a palliative care consultation. Ask direct questions about your diagnosis, prognosis, and the goals of your care.
By considering this issue ahead of time, we normalize this topic and begin to determine our own futures. Guilt, shame, conflict, unnecessary interventions, and costly treatments can be minimized or even avoided through better understanding and thoughtful planning with advance directives. For more information, read Final Wishes: End of Life Decisions, from UF/IFAS EDIS. Another helpful resource has been developed by the National Institutes of Health: Preparing for the End of Life.
(Photo credit: UF/IFAS file photo.)
References:
Frontline: Facing Death. Retrieved on March 29, 2014 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/facing-death/facts-and-figures/
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