Planning Ahead: Call us for support!
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.
Congratulations on thinking about Advance Care Planning: you are ahead of the majority of Canadians. 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. What do I need to do?
If you don’t discuss your wishes or write down your instructions, you can still be assured that your doctors and loved ones will make health care treatment decisions, which they believe are in your best interest and you will receive excellent and medically appropriate care. |
Where can I get more information?
Advance Care Planning - Interior Health
My voice: Expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
"Speak Up - Start the conversation about end-of-life care" - Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association
Make your plan - Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association
Advance Care Planning National Task Group
Advance Care Planning - Interior Health
My voice: Expressing my wishes for future health care treatment
"Speak Up - Start the conversation about end-of-life care" - Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association
Make your plan - Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association
Advance Care Planning National Task Group