Education
What Is Advance Care Planning?
Advance Care Planning is a values-based discussion between you and the person you choose to make health care decisions for you when you are unable to do so yourself. It is more than an Advance Directive (a legal contract such as a Living Will, Five Wishes or DNR).
The goal is to have someone you trust be well informed of all your desires regarding healthcare and treatments, and be willing to advocate for you, making decisions that support your values and wishes when you are unable to do so.
If you’ve never made an Advance Care Plan, it’s time to do so. The best time to make a plan is when you’re not in a crisis; however, if you’ve just been diagnosed with a serious illness, have the discussion and get your plan in writing ASAP.
Hospice & Palliative Care of Northeastern Illinois (HPNI) has developed a new program with tools to help individuals, couples and families through this process. By taking the time to sit down with a trained staff member, you can make sure that all of your goals and wishes are heard and met.
If you’ve already completed an advance directive, such as Five Wishes or another type of living will, you have started the process. Through HPNI’s program, we can help you define what is most important to you regarding your quality of life, communicate your beliefs and wishes to your family, get those wishes in writing and available to those who will be your healthcare advocates.
Expecting others to make decisions for you when you’ve not had any discussion is placing a tremendous burden on them. Some people don’t want to burden their loved ones ahead of time with talking about healthcare decisions, but the burden is worse without this talk.
To learn more about HPNI’s Advance Care Planning program, contact the Education Center at HPNI, at 847-381-5599.
How do I make an Advance Care Plan?
The first step is to select the person that you want to serve as your Health Care Power of Attorney (HCPOA). When deciding who to choose, think of the following important characteristics:
- Who is someone you trust to make health care decisions for you if you could not?
- Who would be willing to express your wishes regardless of their own feelings?
- Who lives close by or could travel to be at your side if needed?
- Who is someone you could talk with and share what is important to you?
- Who would be able to handle conflicting opinions and be a strong advocate expressing your desires?
- Who will likely be available long into the future?
Please understand: the person you select does not have to be your spouse. If you believe that your spouse would be unable to make these tough decisions, select another person.
Once you have made these decisions, it’s important to make sure the following individuals are aware of your decisions and have a copy of your documents:
- Your healthcare POA
- Your primary physician
- Any other doctors actively involved in your treatment
- Important family members
The next steps in Advance Care Planning is to take the time to think about the following questions:
- What are your main values and beliefs on quality of life?
- What does quality of life mean for you? What gives your life meaning now and possibly later when you may not be independent?
- What does dignity mean to you and what would not be dignified to you and therefore unacceptable?
- How do I feel about tube feedings if I have dementia? What if I need a ventilator to breathe?
- How would you want your HCPOA to make decisions for you?
- Would you trust their decisions and believe they will know what to do because they love you? Or do you want them to follow explicit written wishes?
Once you determine core beliefs and wishes, you need to share them with your HCPOA and other members of your family so nothing comes as a surprise to anyone. In addition, share this information with your physicians and lawyer and anyone else you feel needs to know them.
Remember the 5 D’s as the Five times to re-examine your health care wishes…
- Decade- when you start each new decade of your life
- Death-whenever you experience the death of a loved one
- Divorce-when you experience a divorce or other major family change
- Diagnosis-when you are diagnosed with a serious health condition
- Decline-when you experience a significant decline or change in an existing health condition, especially when it impacts your ability to live independently
If your wishes change…..make a new advance directive!
