Advance Care Planning

There's no easy way to plan for health care choices – which is why we're here to help.

Advance care planning is a process that involves thinking and talking about complex and sensitive issues. The purpose of advance care planning is to have directions in place regarding your future medical care in the event you become mentally or physically unable to communicate your wishes.

Questions to Consider

• Do you have any significant health problems now?
• What kinds of things bring you such joy that, should a health problem prevent you from doing them anymore, life would have little meaning?
• What short- or long-term goals do you have? How might medical treatment help or hinder you in accomplishing those goals?
• What significant health problems do you fear may affect you in the future?
• How do you feel about the possibility of having to go to a nursing home?
• How would decisions be made if you couldn't make them?
• What role does religion, faith or spirituality play in how you live your life? What kind of spiritual care would you want?

Who Should Make Decisions?

An important part of planning is to consider whether or not you could choose someone to make your health care decisions if you couldn’t make them yourself. Many people select a close family member, but you’re

free to pick anyone you think could best represent you. Whomever you appoint should be all of the following:

• Able to be trusted
• Willing to accept this responsibility
• Willing to follow the values and instructions you’ve discussed
• Able to make complex, difficult decisions

It’s helpful, but not required, to choose one or more persons in case your first choice becomes unable or unwilling to represent you. It’s best if only one person has authority at a time, but you can instruct your representatives to discuss decisions together if time permits.

What Future Decisions Need to be Considered?

Providing instructions for future health care decisions may seem like an impossible task. How can anyone plan for all the possibilities? You can’t – but you don’t have to.

You need to plan for situations where you:

• Suddenly become unable to make your own decisions
• Aren’t likely to recover
• Have serious injury or loss of function

Such a situation might arise because of an injury to the brain from an accident, a stroke, or a disease that gets worse over time, like Alzheimer’s. To plan for this type of situation, many people state, “If I’m going to be a vegetable, let me go,” or “No heroics,” or “Don’t keep me alive on machines.” While these remarks are a beginning, they simply aren’t clear enough to guide decision making.

How do you make sure that your choices are respected? First talk about them with your family, friends, clergy and health care provider, then put your choices in writing. Information about putting your plans in writing in an advance directive is available from your health care organization or attorney.

Making these choices requires understanding the information, weighing the benefits and burdens from your perspective and then discussing your choices with those closest to you.

Ask Yourself:

• Do you have any health problems? What health problems do you fear in the future?
• What will most help you live well at this point in your life? Think about what frightens you most about medical treatment.
• What situation would change your medical goals from trying to prolong your life to being allowed to die? In some situations, certain medical treatments may not make sense because they won’t help.
• How does cost influence your decisions about medical care?

Get Help with Advance Care Planning

We can help you with advance care planning, including completing an advance directive to outline your wishes in a legal document. If you're in the hospital, talk to your nurse about getting help with advance care planning. You can also call us at 417-269-3903, request information online or attend one of our upcoming workshops to get free, confidential and compassionate assistance.