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?

1. Complete an Advance Directive which can give legally binding instructions directly to doctors about treatments you would refuse, as well as guidance about your wishes for care. A frank discussion with your doctor is very important as you create this plan — so that he/she can write medical orders for care that honor your wishes.
   
2. Complete a Representation Agreement which names the person(s) you wish to be your substitute decision maker. Talk openly with the person(s) you choose, so they can fulfill their responsibility to make decisions, which follow your instruction or wishes.
   
3. Discuss your plan with your loved ones and/or write down your wishes or instructions clearly. This way you can rely on any of your loved ones to follow your plan in their role as Temporary Substitute Decision Maker(s) if selected by your doctors to make health care decisions on your behalf.
   
   

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.

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