Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Parrish Medical Center - (Page 44)
Looking
Ahead
An advance
directive
communicates
your end-of-life
wishes when
you can’t
44
SU M M E R 2 013
report having an advance directive, says Kathy Black, PhD,
MSW, an advance care planning expert and the author of
journal articles on end-of-life care.
PHOTO BY THINKSTOCK
BY STEPHANIE
R. CONNER
W
hat would happen if you were too ill or
injured to speak for yourself? Do you want
to be on machines that would extend your
life? For how long? These are uncomfortable questions we’d
just rather not discuss. While it may be unsettling to think
about death, making decisions about end-of-life care and
sharing your desires are critical.
Advance directives are documents that let you consider
your values about life and death and share your wishes.
Unfortunately, only about 20 to 30 percent of Americans
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