End-of-Life Planning
Getting Your Affairs in Order
A very good place to start end of life planning is checking out the Getting Your Affairs in Order Checklist from the National Institute on Aging.
Similarly, Death with Dignity, a nonprofit organization, makes The Life File which is a guide to end-of-life planning. By sharing your email, Death with Dignity will send you a checklist.
AARP has an affordable book that leads you step-by-step through organizing the information your family will need when and if you are unable to do it yourself or you’ve passed away. Developed with the American Bar Association, Checklist for My Family: A Guide to My History, Financial Plans, and Final Wishes, Second Edition is available online from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and elsewhere.
Fairfax County offers two ways of making sure emergency responders to your home know about you either in advance (Emergency Health Profile online) and a Fire & Rescue form that you can print and store close to your home’s entrance just in case.
Advance Directives
It’s important to plan for a time when you may not be able to make decisions about your health care. A good place to start is to use a tool such as an Advance Planning Guide to ensure those who care about you know your wishes. Advance directives give family and providers the information they need to assess your wishes about things like a do not resuscitate order or the kinds of medical treatment you want if you cannot tell someone that.
An Advance Directive is a written statement detailing your desires regarding medical treatment if you are no longer able to express informed consent.
Durable power of attorney for Health Care is a document that lets you name someone else to make health care decisions if can’t do it yourself. That person is called an agent and this may also be combined with an advance directive.
Do not Resuscitate Order is a request by you not to have cardiopulmonary resuscitation if your heart stops or if you stop breathing.
To help you navigate advance directives and find form templates, contact Virginia Advance Directives. org