No one likes to think about dying, but, face it, we're all going to do it someday. So why not be prepared? Even if you're relatively young, it's always good to let someone know your wishes for end of life care. The 5 Wishes exercise is a way to accomplish this, and I found, having done it, I feel much more secure about my children's knowledge of what I want. To do this exercise, go to www.agingwithdignity.org to find the forms to fill out and the instructions. You can download a form with 5 questions about your wishes for end of life care/treatment, fill them out and then discuss them with family or with a friend who you expect to be there when the time comes. You explain your wishes, then hand them a blank form and have them fill it out as if they were you. That way, you can see that they understand your wishes, or if they don't you can clarify for them.
My children absolutely did not want to do this, but my birthday was coming up and I told them that was what I wanted for a birthday present. So they grudgingly complied, we had our discussion and afterward, my daughter announced, "It wasn't as hard as I expected."
And, by the way, I just finished reading Knocking on Heaven's Door, a woman's memoir about her parents' difficulties during the dying process and a clear message that overtreatment is often worse than undertreatment or no treatment for elderly people.
And on a lighter note, tomorrow is our World Champion Houston Astros's first home game of the new season. We're hoping for a repeat.
