Let’s Talk About What Matters: The Importance of Advance Care Planning
Image courtesy of Samaritan.
BY PHILLIP W. HEATH, MS | President and CEO, Samaritan
Hard to believe, but the end of summer is almost in sight. Many of us go on vacation or take a break from routines in August, wanting to enjoy the best of summer’s closing moments.
August is National “Make-A-Will” Month, the perfect time to create or update your will. More than half of Americans do not have a will, leaving it up to the courts to distribute assets and heirlooms, appoint a guardian for minor children, and assign an executor. A sound plan cares for and protects loved ones, minimizes taxes, and ensures one’s wishes are carried out.
Most of us spend more time planning for a vacation than we do creating a will. Even fewer of us have an advance directive. We plan for rest, relaxation, and recreation now, but not how to best enjoy living and get the care we need in our end-of-life. Last month in this column, discussing caregivers and dementia, we explained that everyone in the family is affected by that diagnosis.
The reality is advance care planning also affects everyone in a family.
At Samaritan, we see how important this road map is. At any age, dealing with a chronic or unexpected illness or emergency can lead to confusion, stress, and uncertainty. That’s why we’re committed to helping with questions, including:
Do I really need an advance care plan?
You plan your vacation for what you need and how you want to enjoy your time, packing sunscreen for bright summer days and researching restaurants for favorite foods. You stow an umbrella for wet weather and identify back-up plans. Checklists, itineraries, and emergency alternatives reduce traveling stress and add to comfort.
Advance care planning prepares you for life’s longer journey, where unexpected detours are more than an inconvenience — they’re deeply personal impacts to your comfort and dignity.
What do I need for my end-of-life care planning?
Essentials for your advance care planning “suitcase” include:
- Living Will: Specifies what kind of medical treatments you want or don’t want
- Healthcare Proxy, Healthcare Agent, or Medical Power of Attorney: Appoints someone to make decisions on your behalf
- POLST (Physician Order for Life Sustaining Treatment): A medical order for current, serious health conditions that complements an advance directive
- Timely Communication: Honest conversations with healthcare providers and loved ones about your wishes
How can I start conversations about my care?
Through Samaritan’s Timely Communications program, we engage and support you and your family in these discussions. One of many resources and conversation starters we recommend is the Five Wishes guide. It’s both a living will and a healthcare proxy form, combining medical, personal, and spiritual preferences in one easy-to-understand document. The first “wish” it asks you to voice is “The Person I Want to Make Care Decisions for Me When I Can’t.” Additional wishes it helps you define are:
- The kind of medical treatment you want or don’t want
- How comfortable you want to be
- How you want people to treat you
- What you want your loved ones to know
Five Wishes is a compassionate way to ensure you designate what you want.
Can’t my family make decisions for me?
If you become very ill and can’t state your own opinions, your loved ones and medical team will have to make important decisions that can have a serious impact on your care and end-of-life experience. These include whether you want to have extreme measures taken to care for you, or to simply be kept comfortable.
Where, how, and with whom do you want to spend your last days? Would you want someone else to have to take the wheel to make those decisions for you? Would you want to make those decisions for someone else?
Peace of mind comes from planning for what care you want now. A will ensures your assets, responsibilities, and legacy are handled according to your wishes. Equally important is an advance care plan that speaks for you if you can’t express it yourself. Together, these tools offer clarity, dignity, and relief for you and loved ones in moments that matter most. Planning ahead is more than a legal act. It is a lasting act of love. It’s your umbrella for life’s medical “what-ifs.” The road ahead might not be certain, but your plans can be. For information or help with advance care planning for yourself or a loved one, visit samaritannj.org for advance care and estate planning information, forms, and other resources.
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