- Dec 20, 2019
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For thousands of years, cultures of all types have recognized the importance of advance care planning. Psalm 90:12 instructs, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” Christ, himself, emphasized being prepared for death through parables like the parable of the ten virgins (Mt 25:1-13), or the parable of the rich fool who had an abundance of grain (Lk 12:16-21). No tomorrow is guaranteed.
At some point in our lives, we will be confronted with the death of a loved one. This reality can leave many questions unanswered: Did I do all I could to help ease their suffering? Did they get enough medical care? Were all their wishes for what they wanted at their end of life respected?
We all want the best for our loved ones, especially in situations with significant consequences. However, the way we approach every situation is informed by personal experiences and beliefs, which vary from person to person. What you believe good end-of-life care looks like may not be what the person being cared for believes.
One way to ensure a peaceful ending is to discuss it with loved ones and utilize advance care planning.
Death is a very personal and sacred event. In the past, death used to take place around family and at home. Paradoxically, people saw death as a part of life due to high mortality rates and lack of good medicine. With the rapid growth of technology, but an ever-decreasing emphasis on faith and familial values, people are able to live longer, but risk dying in despair and isolation. This new cultural attitude towards death, one of heightened dread and anxiety, often makes the topic harder to discuss, causing more and more people to be unprepared when their time comes.
This reality is why advance care planning is more essential than ever. According to Five Wishes, the nation’s leading advance care planner:
“Advance care planning is an ongoing process in which people explore and discuss their goals, values, and experiences related to the end of life, as well as their understanding of their health, to guide future treatment considerations and choices.”
In practice, advance care planning enables loved ones and caregivers to honor end-of-life wishes. Advance care planning helps people avoid both the stress and possible conflict that can arise in the decision-making process around death.
A crucial part of advance care planning is ensuring that a person’s end-of-life preferences are documented in an advance directive. An advance directive is a legally valid document composed of two parts:
These documents only take effect when a patient loses the ability to effectively communicate. Preferences can be as simple as requesting to have music played at your bedside, or as important as choosing what ought to be done in cases of a coma.
Regardless of what your preferences are, documenting them in an advance directive helps ensure effective advanced care planning. Unfortunately, almost two-thirds of adults in the US haven’t documented their wishes for end-of-life care, meaning that they miss out on taking advantage of advance directives.
Each state has their own state issued advance directive, though many are long and filled with confusing legal jargon. They also tend to be biased toward declining treatment, and many are prewritten forms that offer no choices or options to consider.
Thankfully, advance directives like the Five Wishes document can be a good resource as it meets legal requirements in every state and addresses the patient’s spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical needs in simple language. Advance directives in the model of Five Wishes allow patients to choose a health care advocate and write down their treatment preferences in their own words.
For Christians, the concept of advance care planning should not be novel. Christians believe that life on Earth is preparation for eternal life in Heaven with God. By using advance care planning, one is not submitting to death and despair. On the contrary, advance care planning celebrates life by making sure that the proper measures are taken to dignify and honor life.
While tragic, death should be something we think about on a regular basis as it gives us a greater appreciation for life and the lives of those around us. Meditating on our own mortality also keeps Christians from becoming complacent.
Death is frightening, but it is a good reminder of our mortality and the fact that we are fallen beings in desperate need of God’s presence. Christians believe death is the gateway through which we must all cross to achieve eternal happiness with God. Because of this, we should all desire to be prepared to finish life with confidence when our time comes.
Does advance care planning guarantee that when the time finally comes to say goodbye to a loved one it will be easy? No. The death of a loved one is almost always a difficult experience. However, the time spent preparing for that moment can provide more comfort and peace.
Advance care planning means to start the conversation and find out what a peaceful ending means to you and your loved ones. Everyone deserves to experience peace when leaving behind temporal life and entering an eternal one.
The post Advance Care Planning: Finish Life with Confidence appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...
At some point in our lives, we will be confronted with the death of a loved one. This reality can leave many questions unanswered: Did I do all I could to help ease their suffering? Did they get enough medical care? Were all their wishes for what they wanted at their end of life respected?
We all want the best for our loved ones, especially in situations with significant consequences. However, the way we approach every situation is informed by personal experiences and beliefs, which vary from person to person. What you believe good end-of-life care looks like may not be what the person being cared for believes.
One way to ensure a peaceful ending is to discuss it with loved ones and utilize advance care planning.
What is Advance Care Planning?
Death is a very personal and sacred event. In the past, death used to take place around family and at home. Paradoxically, people saw death as a part of life due to high mortality rates and lack of good medicine. With the rapid growth of technology, but an ever-decreasing emphasis on faith and familial values, people are able to live longer, but risk dying in despair and isolation. This new cultural attitude towards death, one of heightened dread and anxiety, often makes the topic harder to discuss, causing more and more people to be unprepared when their time comes.
This reality is why advance care planning is more essential than ever. According to Five Wishes, the nation’s leading advance care planner:
“Advance care planning is an ongoing process in which people explore and discuss their goals, values, and experiences related to the end of life, as well as their understanding of their health, to guide future treatment considerations and choices.”
In practice, advance care planning enables loved ones and caregivers to honor end-of-life wishes. Advance care planning helps people avoid both the stress and possible conflict that can arise in the decision-making process around death.
Advance Directives in Advance Care Planning
A crucial part of advance care planning is ensuring that a person’s end-of-life preferences are documented in an advance directive. An advance directive is a legally valid document composed of two parts:
- A living will where the patient communicates his or her desires for treatment in writing.
- A health care advocate designation, which addresses who will make medical decisions for a patient in accordance with the patient’s desires, if necessary.
These documents only take effect when a patient loses the ability to effectively communicate. Preferences can be as simple as requesting to have music played at your bedside, or as important as choosing what ought to be done in cases of a coma.
Regardless of what your preferences are, documenting them in an advance directive helps ensure effective advanced care planning. Unfortunately, almost two-thirds of adults in the US haven’t documented their wishes for end-of-life care, meaning that they miss out on taking advantage of advance directives.
What Advance Directives are Available to me?
Each state has their own state issued advance directive, though many are long and filled with confusing legal jargon. They also tend to be biased toward declining treatment, and many are prewritten forms that offer no choices or options to consider.
Thankfully, advance directives like the Five Wishes document can be a good resource as it meets legal requirements in every state and addresses the patient’s spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical needs in simple language. Advance directives in the model of Five Wishes allow patients to choose a health care advocate and write down their treatment preferences in their own words.
Advance Care Planning as Christians
For Christians, the concept of advance care planning should not be novel. Christians believe that life on Earth is preparation for eternal life in Heaven with God. By using advance care planning, one is not submitting to death and despair. On the contrary, advance care planning celebrates life by making sure that the proper measures are taken to dignify and honor life.
While tragic, death should be something we think about on a regular basis as it gives us a greater appreciation for life and the lives of those around us. Meditating on our own mortality also keeps Christians from becoming complacent.
Death is frightening, but it is a good reminder of our mortality and the fact that we are fallen beings in desperate need of God’s presence. Christians believe death is the gateway through which we must all cross to achieve eternal happiness with God. Because of this, we should all desire to be prepared to finish life with confidence when our time comes.
Advance Care Planning: Final Thoughts
Does advance care planning guarantee that when the time finally comes to say goodbye to a loved one it will be easy? No. The death of a loved one is almost always a difficult experience. However, the time spent preparing for that moment can provide more comfort and peace.
Advance care planning means to start the conversation and find out what a peaceful ending means to you and your loved ones. Everyone deserves to experience peace when leaving behind temporal life and entering an eternal one.
Additional Resources:
- Caring for Elderly Parents: A Guide
- Caring for Elderly Parents: The Complete Guide
- Resources: Elder Care
- Preparing to Care for Aging Loved Ones
- Home Care Services for the Elderly
- Providing Care for the Elderly
- Caring for the Elderly
- Caring for Aging Parents
- Assuming Care of an Elderly Loved One
The post Advance Care Planning: Finish Life with Confidence appeared first on Focus on the Family.
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