Gibson Gleanings: Make sure to get your advance directive in order

The other day, as we were finishing up an exercise class, and one person said she was going on vacation. That started us talking about the importance of having ones wishes known. We discussed having an advance directive. One person mentioned that a person should speak with the person who is chosen to make health care decisions, to let them know they are being named, and to be sure the person will follow through on ones wishes.

It doesn’t have to be a family member, if ones family doesn’t see things the same way you do. It is important to have the wishes in writing, and copies given to ones family, lawyer and doctors. It is also important to keep the Advance Directive up to date. We talked about the five D’s when the advance directive may need to be updated: 1) Every time a person celebrates a decade birthday, the advance directive should be looked at to be sure all names, and phone numbers are still accurate; 2) In case of a death, the order of names listed on the advance directive may need to be changed; 3) In the case of a divorce (or change in marital status), one may change who is responsible for making decisions; 4) If a person has a new diagnosis, she may change her mind about what her wishes are; 5) If one experiences a sudden decline in ones health, ones priorities may change.