What do you hope for most? We could all make our wish list. Rarely do we take the time to think about the choices we have about the end of life. Dying is not the topic we bring up while we grab a hamburger and rush on to the next family or social event. Even so, we need to talk.
Health Care Decisions Day is every April 16. It is a time for all North Carolinians to think seriously about their hopes about life and their needs around life's end. Mission Hospital invites you to join that conversation. Here are 10 things that you can do right now:
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Think about what brings joy and meaning to your life.
- Consider organ, eye, and tissue donation. Learn more at www.donatelifenc.org.
- Make your wishes about donation known by talking to family and friends.
- Consider your present or future health and the needs you may have.
- If you have questions, talk to your doctor about your health needs.
- Outline your goals for living, even as you come to life's end.
- Make some decisions about ways in which medical care can help you reach those goals. Some goals may call for medical care that tries to cure. Other goals may invite a focus on comfort at life's end. Your choices may change with time and with changes in your health.
- Decide who can best help you support your decisions if you are unable to make them. Tell them about your wishes.
- Complete a plan that will help you reach your goals. This may include filling out a Health Care Power of Attorney or a Living Will. You may want to complete a Five Wishes document that can help communicate your wishes clearly.
- Tell your doctor, your family, and your friends about your wishes.
It may not be an easy conversation. Such talk may lead you to tears. But, there may be moments in which you reaffirm the love of others in your life. You may retell faith stories that comfort you, even in the face of death. You can find solace in the knowledge that those for whom you care know how to best care for you now and at life's end.
