Wednesday, November 27, 2013
20 Ways to Discuss Advance Care Planning With Your Family Over The Holiday
Every one always talks about how we should bring up important topics like advance care planning, end-of-life wishes and health care values with our family. But no one really tells you how. So in preparation for the holidays we bring you many different ways to bring up the conversation since you will be seeing family and friends who may have a say in what happens to you if you are never able to make your own health care decisions. Some of these were collected from the Pallimed Facebook page, which we encourage you to come like, share and participate in. We present a variety of ways to get to the topic: some humorous and edgy, some will work for you, others clearly won't, but we wanted to provide a range of scenarios!
“Do you think this delicious turkey had a living
will?”
“All I want for Christmas is for you to tell me your
thoughts on artificial life support and your ideas regarding an acceptable
quality of life. Fa-la-la-la-la---la-la-la-la.”
“Whoever assigned their Health Care Power of Attorney this
year gets pumpkin AND apple pie for dessert!”
“The holidays can be so depressing sometimes.”
“You want to know what increases the risk of depression? Not
knowing the wishes of your loved ones when they get sick. It’s a fact.”
“I always wondered if Katniss did any advance care planning
when she volunteered for The Hunger Games.”
“I'm super excited to meet your parents for the first time. Are you the health care power of attorney for either of them?”
"Wow, that tackle looked like he might have a concussion. I hope he has talked to his family about his thoughts on medical care before this game. Dad, what would you want if you couldn't make your own decisions?"
“Do you think Kim Kardashian is the health care power of attorney for her mom?”
“Deck the halls with boughs of holly? Ha! How about we deck
these halls with some advanced care planning documents, people!”
“Mom, where are the coupons for the Black Friday sales?”
“On the fridge next to my health care power of attorney.”
“Anyone else ever wonder how things may have turned out
differently for Walter White if he’d had early referral to palliative care
services?
“I know Uncle Bob is not here with us tonight (Bless His
Soul), but I’m thankful he shared with all of us his wishes for when he got
sick.”
“Do you know what you want for Christmas?”
“How about his and her living wills, wrapped in a health
care power of attorney. Then we can talk about our values and thoughts on
aggressive medical care over hot cocoa by the warm fire?”
“Well only if I get to tell your Mom that I’m your
health care power of attorney!”
“Just so you know if I choke on this turkey I would like a
sky burial where my body is fed to the birds. It seems only fair.”
“Hey everyone, time to cut out paper snowflakes with my
previous advance directives! I just updated them last night.”
“Mom, I can't believe our cat died.”
“Well, kitty had an advance directive, and it said not to put him in a kitty nursing home or else he would haunt me forever. Now what would all of you at the table haunt me for if I didn't follow your wishes?”
“Did you hear about that reporter who tweeted from his mother hospital bed as she lay dying? Do you want me to tweet about that mom?”
“What’s on your bucket list? Mine starts with an advance
directive.”
“I read this blog post where someone was trying to think of
clever ways to bring up advance care planning and end of life issues at holiday
dinners. Let’s try to think of some.”
“Hey, do you have a second?
I wanted to talk to you about something really important because I love
you.”
Please share with us your holiday story of advance care planning in the comments!
Happy Thanksgiving and Hanukkah from us at Pallimed!