Five Wishes: A Guide to Advance Healthcare Planning

Imagine a scenario in which a medical emergency arises, and you find yourself unable to make crucial healthcare decisions. Do your loved ones know your wishes? Are you absolutely certain about what you'd want in such a situation? While contemplating such situations can be uncomfortable, it is essential to be prepared, as crises can strike unexpectedly. Fortunately, there exists a well-established program called "Five Wishes" that addresses these concerns. Five Wishes is not just an ordinary living will; it delves into personal, emotional, and spiritual needs alongside your medical preferences.

It allows you to designate a trusted individual to make healthcare decisions on your behalf in case you become unable to do so. Five Wishes guarantees that your preferred treatment plan will be followed precisely, eliminating any uncertainty. This document is designed to benefit both you and your family, putting an end to the guessing game. Originally inspired by Jim Towey, who spent 12 years working closely with Mother Teresa and a year in hospice care, Five Wishes was developed to help patients and their families plan ahead and cope with serious illnesses.

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The success of Five Wishes is evident in its widespread recognition and adoption. It has been featured on prominent news networks such as CNN and NBC's Today Show, as well as in reputable publications like Time and Money magazines. Often referred to as the "first living will with a heart and soul," Five Wishes is now available in 23 languages and accessible in 42 states, including the District of Columbia. To be eligible for Five Wishes, one simply needs to be 18 years or older.

According to agingwithdignity.org, over 13 million Americans have already utilized this program, and its popularity continues to grow, with hospitals, hospices, retiree groups, and legal professionals recommending and distributing the document widely.

Understanding the Five Wishes Document

The Five Wishes document is divided into five distinct wishes, each addressing a crucial aspect of your healthcare and end-of-life preferences.

Wish 1: Designating Your Healthcare Agent

Wish 1 focuses on selecting the person who will make healthcare decisions on your behalf, often referred to as the patient's agent. Your chosen agent must be at least 18 years old. This section of the document provides guidance on key considerations when choosing an agent and allows you to specify the extent to which your agent can represent you.

Wish 2: Outlining Your Medical Treatment Preferences

Wish 2 is one of the most critical sections as it deals with your treatment preferences. Here, you can express your wishes regarding life support, comfort medications, resuscitation, and other medical interventions. You also have the opportunity to specify your preferences if you are close to death, have permanent and severe brain damage without prospects of recovery, are in a coma with no expected awakening, or find yourself in any other condition under which you do not wish to be kept alive.

Wish 3: Defining Your Comfort Preferences

Wish 3 allows you to specify your comfort preferences during your healthcare journey. Options include preferences for pain management, the use of medications, the use of cold compresses for fevers, maintaining moisture in the lips and mouth, personal hygiene, massage therapy, playing music until the time of death, grooming maintenance, religious readings, and emotional and spiritual care for your family.

Wish 4: Expressing How You Want to Be Treated

Wish 4 delves into how you would like to be treated by your caregivers. You can express preferences such as having people around as much as possible, receiving companionship and conversation, bedside prayers, informing your faith community about your situation, receiving care with a positive attitude, surrounding yourself with pictures of loved ones, maintaining personal hygiene, and the option to pass away at home.

Wish 5: Communicating Your Final Wishes

Wish 5 provides a platform for you to communicate your final wishes to your loved ones. You can convey your love for them, seek forgiveness for any past grievances, extend your forgiveness to them, express your lack of fear regarding the inevitable, encourage your family to reconcile before your passing, request that they remember you in your healthier days, urge them to honor your wishes, maintain a positive outlook, seek counseling to ensure their memories of you are filled with joy rather than sorrow, specify your preference for cremation or burial, designate the location for your final resting place, and ensure that the person you have chosen is aware of your funeral wishes.

Once you have completed all five wishes, the final step is to sign the document. Two witnesses should also sign, and in Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia, the document must be notarized to be legally valid.

Conclusion

While signing and filling out wills and advance directives can be emotionally challenging, having the Five Wishes document in place before a crisis arises ensures that your actions align with your true desires. As stated in the Five Wishes document, "Each patient's decisions to accept or refuse medical treatment are respected." This policy exists to honor your advance directive and ensure that your wishes are followed, providing peace of mind for both you and your loved ones.