Advance Care Planning

Advance care planning involves reflecting on and preparing for future decisions about your medical care if you become seriously ill or unable to communicate your wishes. Having meaningful conversations with your loved ones is the most important part of advance care planning. Many people also choose to put their preferences in writing by completing legal documents called advance directives.

Advance directives are legal documents that provide instructions for medical care and only go into effect if you cannot communicate your own wishes. You do not need an attorney to prepare advance directive forms ~ many people discuss their wishes with loved ones as well as clergy (pastors, ministers, imams, rabbis, priests, chaplains...) and medical professionals. 

There are increasing options for what can be done after death with our bodies ~ cremation or burial are the general categories, though increasingly people are specifying green burial or green cremation (also known as aquamation) as their preference. I am comfortable discussing the various options as well as how to make arrangements.