Advance Directives
Five Wishes® advance directive document helps you let your doctor, family and friends understand your wishes
No matter your current age or health, by the time you become seriously ill, you may be unable to make and express decisions about the way you want to be treated when the end of your life is near.
That’s why Aging with Dignity, a national non-profit organization, developed Five Wishes, an easy-to-use document in which you fill in the blanks to make your wishes known.
Five Wishes meets health decision statutes in Washington state and is also a form of “advance directive.” It includes five sections that outline specific directions for how you want to be treated. You simply fill it out and then share it with your doctor and family members.
-
Wish One lets you choose the person you want to make decisions for you when you can’t make them for yourself. (This is known as “durable power of attorney for health care.”)
-
Wish Two is a living will. It lets you put in writing the kind of medical treatment you want or don’t want if you become seriously ill and can’t communicate.
-
Wishes Three and Four let you describe in detail how you want to be treated so that your dignity can be maintained.
-
Wish Five gives you a chance to tell others how you want to be remembered and express other things that might be in your heart, such as forgiveness.
Source: Aging with Dignity