Five Wishes

Five Wishes is a national advance directive created by the non-profit organization Aging with Dignity. It has been described as the "living will with a heart and soul." [Silva, Mark, "Living Will With Heart Now Available," The Miami Herald, 7/24/1997]

History

Five Wishes was originally introduced in 1996 as a Florida-only document [http://www.rwjf.org/reports/grr/029110s.htm] , combining a living will and health care power of attorney in addition to addressing matters of comfort care and spirituality. With help from the American Bar Association's Commission on Law and Aging and leading medical experts, a national version of Five Wishes was introduced in 1998 [Davies, Frank, "Living Will From Florida Goes Nationwide," The Miami Herald, 10/23/1998] . More than 11 million documents have been distributed by a network of over 15,000 partner organizations worldwide. [http://www.agingwithdignity.org/5wishes.html]

The Five Wishes

Wishes 1 and 2 are both legal documents. Once signed, they meet the legal requirements for an advance directive in the states listed below. Wishes 3, 4 and 5 are unique to Five Wishes, in that they address matters of comfort care, spirituality, forgiveness, and final wishes.

Wish 1: The Person I Want to Make Care Decisions for Me When I Can't

This section is an assignment of a health care agent (also called proxy, surrogate, representative or health care power of attorney). This person makes medical decisions on your behalf if you are unable to speak for yourself.

Wish 2: The Kind of Medical Treatment I Want or Don't Want

This section is a living will--a definition of what life support treatment means to you, and when you would and would not want it.

Wish 3: How Comfortable I Want to Be

This section addresses matters of comfort care--what type of pain management you would like, personal grooming and bathing instructions, and whether you would like to know about options for hospice care, among others.

Wish 4: How I Want People to Treat Me

This section speaks to personal matters, such as whether you would like to be at home, whether you would like someone to pray at your bedside, among others.

Wish 5: What I Want My Loved Ones to Know

This section deals with matters of forgiveness, how you wish to be remembered and final wishes regarding funeral or memorial plans.

igning and Witnessing Requirements

The last portion of the document contains a section for signing the document and having it witnessed. Some states require notarization, and are so indicated in the document.

tates

Five Wishes currently meets the legal requirements for an advance directive in the following 40 states and the District of Columbia. [http://www.agingwithdignity.org/states.html] In the remaining 10 states where a statutory form is required, one must attach the state document if one wishes to use the Five Wishes document as a guide.

References

External Links

* [http://www.agingwithdignity.org Official website]