08/21/2021
People often message me to ask when the best time to do advanced directives is and the best answer I can give is always, the earlier the better. Not necessarily in advanced years of age does the end of life planning process begin. When a new diagnosis is made, an accident, life event change, etc…it’s never too early to plan for your end of life.
When we have our advance directives done and we have a conversation with our family, caregivers, medical providers and loved ones about what we would want or not want for our end of life wishes, the end of life goes better by 80% to 90%, no matter what the end of life disease process is.
We have all but removed the skill of end of life conversations and preparations from our present-day society. The lack of awareness that death is and will be a natural part of our life's journey, and the lack of skills the average person has on knowing how to care for someone we love at the end of their life has led to death becoming 1000 times more difficult than it needs to be, usually accompanied by unnecessary suffering, usually of the dying person’s family and loved ones.
It is virtually impossible to have things go well when everyone is in crisis mode at the end of life. As medical caregivers/practitioners, we usually are just putting band aids on things and handling the acute issues right in front of us - but there's so much more that could have been done to allow for a much more positive end of life experience and passing.
So, my message is this: When it comes to end-of-life planning - the earlier, the better.
Death is not a medical experience - it is a human one.
With the right education, kindness, and support, death can be the natural, and sacred experience it was meant to be.
Do you need to plan for end of life? Need further information. Contact me to start the conversation.