Advanced care planning means you choose your own end of life decisions. While it is important to discuss your wishes with your loved ones, putting your decisions in writing eases the burden. Advanced care planning is for everyone, not just for the elderly or sick.
Consider these steps by the National Institute on Aging:
- Reflect on your values and wishes.
- Talk with your doctor. If you have Medicare, Advanced Care Planning is part of your annual wellness visit.
- Choose someone you trust to carry out your decisions.
- Complete your advanced directive forms.
- Share copies of your forms with your health care advocate, doctors, and loved ones.
- Keep the conversations going. If you update your forms, the most recent ones will be used; but keep the older versions and note when something changes.
Capital Health Plan uses an advanced directive called Five Wishes from the local organization Aging with Dignity. It is user-friendly, easy to understand, available in 32 languages plus Braille, and legal in most states including Florida. The Five Wishes are:
- My Healthcare advocate
- My Treatment Wishes
- How Comfortable I Want to Be
- How I Want People to Treat Me
- What I Want My Loved Ones to Know
Download the Five Wishes document at https://capitalhealth.com/members/advance-directives-and-living-wills/ or call Capital Health Plan’s Health Information Line at 850-383-3400 to obtain a copy.
For more information about Five Wishes, go to https://agingwithdignity.org/
To learn more about advanced care planning, go to https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/advance-care-planning/advance-care-planning-advance-directives-health-care
Remember, planning ahead helps you and your loved ones feel more secure about your future health care!