People don’t like talking about money. That’s why I started this site. You know what people like talking about even less? Death.
My wife and I have already filled out a generic advanced health directive, but I recently ran across something that seems better. Five Wishes helps you document how exactly you wish to be treated if you get seriously ill in an approachable, holistic manner. In addition to choosing a healthcare proxy and filling out an advanced healthcare directive, it also guides you beyond that. Do you want people to pray for you? Do you want people to talk to you, even if you are unconscious? Do you want to die at home if possible? How do you envision your funeral?
- Wish 1: The Person I Want to Make Care Decisions for Me When I Can’t.
- Wish 2: The Kind of Medical Treatment I Want or Don’t Want.
- Wish 3: How Comfortable I Want to Be.
- Wish 4: How I Want People to Treat Me.
- Wish 5: What I Want My Loved Ones to Know.
You can easily find “free” advanced healthcare directives online, but a lot of them pretty much come down to a checkbox of “prolong life no matter what” or “do not prolong life”. The best way to understand how Five Wishes is different is to read through this sample document [PDF].
In 42 states, Five Wishes meets the legal requirements for an advance directive. In the remaining 8 states (Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Utah), you will need to fill out some specific additional forms or mandatory notices to make it legal. Often it’s just an official form you have to attach.
There is a nominal fee of $5 for both the paper and online versions. Five Wishes was created by someone who worked in a hospice and realized that there are a lot of common questions to which your loved ones must often guess the answer. Why not answer them now? It is an enormous gift to both yourself and to them.
I’ve been looking for something like this. Do you happen to know of any organizations for disabled individuals who don’t have an assigned health care agent? Hard to find someone you trust to make the decisions for you.
I’m not knowledgeable in this area, but this NYT article may help:
When There’s No Family
Enormous help.
I have been a loyal reader of you for years. You have changed my life with my confidence level and overcoming fears about money.
Glad you found it useful. Thanks for reading!