April 16th is an important day

Recently, I got into a social media dialogue with someone who described herself as a “health coach” for women. I had asked if she included anything about Advance Care Planning (ACP) or advance directives in her health coaching and she responded by telling me that her coaching was about how 90% of illnesses are preventable with the right diet and that she emphasized how to HEAL. (Yes, she put that in all caps.)  Hmmm… A healthy lifestyle does not preclude death. Living a long, healthy, happy life is a fairly universal aspiration and at the end of it comes death.

Tomorrow, April 16, is National Healthcare Decisions Day in the United States and Advance Care Planning Day in Canada. This is a day that exists to inspire, educate, and empower the public, physicians, and other healthcare providers about the importance of ACP.

You may recall from my book, Bob used to tell patients and families about his own parents. Both lived into their nineties. His father wanted only to be kept comfortable, while his mother wanted every, possible, life-extending measure. They were both right. Because with advance directives, the right answer is your answer. The specific content of your advance directives is not what is important, the fact that you have them documented and have assigned a healthcare proxy and back up to convey your wishes if you are unable to do so yourself is essential. ACP is both your right and responsibility as an adult. Please do not just leave it up to your spouse or adult children to decide for you when the time comes because that is a huge and unnecessary burden to place on someone you love.

If you haven’t already, download this free At Peace Tool Kit, which will guide you through easy steps, one that could save your life and a couple that will help you live and love more fully be being more at peace with death. If you previously downloaded, please drop me a note and let me know how it is going.