Reflections on End of Life: Advance Care Planning: Courage in Conversation

This class is the third in a series of 4 classes. Janice Hopec of Hospice of the Western Reserve, will lead the discussion on advance care planning.

Advance care planning involves learning about the types of decisions that might need to be made, considering those decisions ahead of time, and then letting others know about your preferences, often by putting them into an advance directive. An advance directive is a legal document that goes into effect only if you are incapacitated and unable to speak for yourself. This could be the result of disease or severe injury—no matter how old you are. It helps others know what type of medical care you want. It also allows you to express your values and desires related to end-of-life care. You might think of an advance directive as a living document—one that you can adjust as your situation changes because of new information or a change in your health.

(Extracted from http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/advance-care-planning)