Death. Let’s be honest, it’s a topic almost all of us would rather not think about until we absolutely have to. But keep reading: spending a few minutes now thinking about the end of your life could save you and your loved ones significant stress, uncertainty, and pain.
Almost all of us hope – in fact, many of us are banking – that our lives will culminate with a ‘falling asleep and never waking up’ kind of end: gentle, quiet, painless, and completely unexpected. Given that only about 1 in 10 deaths actually happens quickly and unexpectedly, the odds are stacked pretty heavily that you – like 9 out of 10 people – will require end-of-life care and support. Making your end-of-life medical and support wishes known now, hopefully long before the actual end of your life, will help ensure your preferences are achieved and your voice is heard if you ever are unable to speak for yourself. And that’s not all: research shows that patients who have end-of-life conversations with their doctors and family members are much more likely to be satisfied with their care, will require fewer aggressive interventions at the end of life, will place less of a strain on caregivers, and are more likely to take advantage of hospice resources or die at home instead of dying in hospital.
If you haven’t yet considered advance care planning, you are not alone. According to a poll done by Ipsos-Reid in 2004 on behalf of the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and GlaxoSmithKline, 70 per cent of Canadians had not prepared a living will or advance care plan, and 47 per cent of Canadians had not designated anyone to make healthcare decisions for them at such point that they are unable. Fewer than 44 per cent of those polled had discussed end-of-life care preferences with a family member.
Every adult should make two simple but incredibly important decision making steps.
1) Choose a substitute decision maker – someone who you trust to speak for you if you are not able to – and ask if they are comfortable making decisions on your behalf.
2) Very clearly communicate (preferably write down) your key health care preferences. Share these preferences with your substitute decision maker.
Understand that these decisions can be changed anytime, and that they will only come into effect at such point that you are no longer able to communicate your own decisions.
April 16th is National Advance Care Planning Day. In recognition of the day, Desert Valley Hospice Society and Interior Health will partner as hosts of a free public information session about end-of-life planning. This is a great opportunity to get additional information about end-of-life care and support options, and the ideal time to get a conversation started about your end-of-life wishes. The event will take place from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the Osoyoos Seniors’ Centre and is free and open to all. A presentation of “Expressing my wishes for future health care treatment” will be followed by a panel discussion made up of palliative care specialists. We hope to see you there.
For more information about the Advance Care Planning presentation and panel discussion, and / or the Desert Valley Hospice Society, please contact us at info@desertvalleyhospice.com or 250 689 3847. We support excellence in the delivery of end-of-life care.