Having an advance care plan can lessen stress and be a gift to your loved ones
We plan for the major events in our lives, such as weddings or having a baby. We plan for retirement and for our children’s educations. We even plan for the not so major events, such as holidays and vacations. What we don’t generally plan for is the unexpected, such as a sudden illness or serious injury. The very nature of being “unexpected” explains why.
Hopefully, for many of us, the unexpected illness or injury will not occur. But we all age, and are likely to come to a time when medical care is needed to sustain our life. What is the plan then?
Having an advance care plan in place, such as an advance directive, is a way in which we can plan and prepare ourselves and loved ones for another of life’s major events. Advance directives are instructions you give regarding your future medical care which becomes effective if you lose your decision-making capacity.
Talking about it with your family
Discussing your end-of-life wishes with loved ones is understandably difficult. Sharing your wishes early, before a crisis, can help to minimize emotional distress. Even if you are young and healthy- all adults over the age of 18 can benefit from having an advance directive.
Informing your family, friends and your doctor
Equally important to establishing an advance care plan is sharing it. Written advance directives are free, legal documents to be shared with family or friends and your healthcare providers, so they can understand and honor your wishes. The process helps to define your values and what matters most to you regarding the healthcare choices that may need to be made in the future.
Planning early is essential in case of dementia
As adult patients, we take for granted that choices related to our medical care are within our control. However, it is important to recognize that there may come a time when we do not have the ability to make those choices. For example, we may lack consciousness, or our ability to make decisions is diminished due to a form of dementia.
A complication of diseases such as Alzheimer’s is that the person may lack or gradually lose the ability to think clearly. People can live with diseases such as Alzheimer’s for years, so it can be hard to think of these as terminal diseases. It is important to ensure there is an advance care plan in place as early in the diagnosis as possible.
Alleviate your loved ones’ stress
The circumstances that surround a major illness or life-threatening injury can create extreme stress for families, often related to disagreements regarding health care decision-making at the end of life. Having an advance care plan in place can lessen that stress, and be a gift to your loved ones as it allows you to specify your wishes while easing the decision-making burden.
How to begin
For more information about Honoring Care Decisions, visit dartmouth-hitchcock.org/supportive-services/honoring-care-decisions.html.
Ask your collaborative care nurse or your provider about how to request assistance in preparing an advance directive or call 800-730-7577 to request a one-on-one Advance Care Planning conversation with a certified volunteer facilitator.