* Five Wishes is distributed by Aging with
Dignity. All rights reserved. This graphic is reprinted with
permission from Aging With Dignity, a national nonprofit.
If you are looking at this tool kit, you are either thinking of
making a health care advance directive (such as a living will or
durable power of attorney for health care), or you may have already
signed one. In either case, you should be aware that just having
a written advance directive by itself does not ensure that your
wishes will be understood and respected. Studies have shown that
standard advance directive forms do little to influence end-of-life
decisions without: 1) informed, thoughtful reflection about your
wishes and values, and 2) personal communication between you and
your likely decision-makers before a crisis occurs.
Why a Tool Kit?
Good advance planning for health care decisions is, in reality,
a continuing conversation - about values, priorities, the meaning
of one's life, and quality of life. To help you in this process,
this tool kit contains a variety of self-help worksheets, suggestions,
and resources. There are 10 tools in all, each clearly labeled
and user-friendly. The tool kit does not create a formal advance
directive for you. Instead, it helps you do the much harder job
of discovering, clarifying, and communicating what is important
to you in the face of serious illness. List of "Tools" for
Health Care Advance Planning:
Tool #1: How to Select Your Health Care Agent or
Proxy
Tool #2: Are Some Conditions Worse than Death?
Tool #3: How Do You Weigh Odds of Survival?
Tool #4: Personal Priorities and Spiritual Values Important to Your Medicl
Decisions
Tool #5: After Death Decisions to Think About Now
Tool #6: Conversation Scripts: Getting Past the Resistance
Tool #7: The Proxy Quiz for Family & Physician
Tool #8: What to Do After Signing Your Health Care Advance Directive
Tool #9: Guide for Health Care Proxies
Tool #10: Resources: Advance Planning for Health Care
Vicki Nelson
Executive Director
Compassionate Care Alliance
P.O. Box 1785
Monterey, CA 93942
(831) 655-9506
Email
All information provided is for informational purposes only, and should not be used for diagnostic purposes or as a substitute for professional, medical or legal advice. Since medical developments occur daily, this site may contain outdated material. Legal requirements vary from State to State and are subject to change. It is always advisable to make sure legal documents comply with current, applicable law
The inclusion of any link does not imply an endorsement of that link, nor does it imply an endorsement of any product or service promoted on these sites. We can make no guarantees or representations regarding the accuracy or timeliness of information produced by others.
This website should be considered a tool, but is not a substitute for personal consultation with appropriate health care, legal, hospice or other professionals.
We welcome your questions, comments and thoughts. Please write
to us using the Contact Us form..
