In the work that I do with hospice and as I talk about death in other contexts as well, one of the topics that repeatedly comes up is advance care planning.  My awareness has increased around the value of having a plan and a recognition that the pieces I currently have in place, a will and living will, do not feel sufficient for me.  So to be in integrity with my own ideals/values, what I say, and how I show up in the world, I’m embarking on a journey with my desired outcome of having completed an Advanced Care Plan.  I invite you to come on this journey with me – this is both a process – involving questions, conversations, reflections – and a likely set of documents.  In this blog I’ll share my planning process and what resources I use along the way.

So what is Advance Care Planning?

Here are the two main documents I am using as I begin this journey and what they say Advance Care Planning is about.

1) Speak Up:  Start the conversation about end-of-life care published by the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. 

Advance care planning is a process of reflection and communication, a time for you to reflect on your values and wishes, and to let others know your future health and personal care preferences in the event that you become incapable of consenting to or refusing treatment or other care.

Advance care planning means having discussions with family and friends, especially your Substitute Decision Maker – the person who will speak for you when you cannot. It may also include writing down your wishes, and may even involve talking with healthcare providers and financial and legal professionals.

You may never need your advance care plan – but if you do, you’ll be glad that it’s there and that you have had these conversations, to make sure that your voice is heard when you cannot speak for yourself

2) My Voice:  Advanced Care Plan published by the BC Ministry of Health as a provincial guide for advance care planning.

Having a voice in decisions about your health care treatments is important.  There may come a time when, due to illness or injury, you are incapable of expressing your treatment wishes to health care providers.  By planning in advance, you can be sure that your family, friends and/or health care providers know your wishes, and can ensure these wishes are followed.

Here’s why I want to do an advanced care plan:

1. I believe that talking about death informs how I want to LIVE my life.
2. I’ve heard many stories of how families struggle to make health-based decisions when a loved one is incapacitated due to illness or injury.  I know I can’t alleviate the struggle completely, but I certainly believe I can support my family by having conversations with them now, in the present moment, that will make my desires clear and help to inform their decisions later.
3. I want to be responsible with how my health care dollars are spent. Unnecessary procedures in the forms of ones I am not wanting to have add to the burden on the health care system.

In the coming months I’ll share what unfolds for me in my advance care planning process in the hopes that helps to inform your process.  For now I invite you to get a hold of the documents/workbooks I’ve highlighted above and think about you and your family/friends might benefit from energy you put in to advance care planning.

 

NOTE:  In locating these documents one of the things I’ve learned thus far is that there are a few versions of the My Voice floating out there.  From what I can tell the most recent version is Feb 2012.  I found it through the CHPCA website.  They have links to other planning documents in additional to their Speak Up and the VCH My Voice. Here’s the link to where their planning section starts.

 

 

Text and Images Copyright © Dr. Catherine Hajnal 2011, 2012