Advance Directives
Living with a terminal diagnosis: the practical work
There is a period after a terminal diagnosis in which a great deal can be arranged, and using it well makes the following months substantially easier for everyone.
Advance Directives
Living wills, healthcare proxies and DNR orders.
Advance Directives
The complete plan, on one page
Everything across this site reduces to a fairly short list. This is that list, in the order worth doing it.
Advance Directives
Where do you want to be at the end
Most people express a preference to die at home. A substantial proportion die in hospital. The gap has identifiable causes and several of them are addressable.
Advance Directives
Assisted dying: where the law stands and what it means practically
A small and growing number of jurisdictions permit some form of medically assisted death. The frameworks differ substantially and the practical implications are frequently misunderstood.
Advance Directives
Resuscitation decisions, explained properly
Do-not-resuscitate decisions are widely misunderstood, by families and sometimes by staff, in ways that cause real harm in both directions.
Advance Directives
Planning ahead after a dementia diagnosis
A diagnosis creates a window in which decisions can still be made by the person themselves, and that window closes gradually and irreversibly.
Advance Directives
Mental capacity: what it means and how it is assessed
Capacity is decision-specific, time-specific and presumed to be present. Families frequently misunderstand all three, with consequences for the decisions that follow.
Advance Directives
Power of attorney for finances: the document to do first
A power of attorney only works if it is made while the person still has capacity, which means the moment people realise they need one is frequently the moment it becomes impossible.
Advance Directives
Organ and tissue donation: how the systems work
Donation systems differ substantially between countries, and in nearly all of them the family is asked regardless of what you registered. Which makes telling them the decisive step.
Advance Directives
Palliative and hospice care: what they are and when
Palliative care is widely misunderstood as care for the last few days. It is available far earlier, alongside treatment, and evidence suggests earlier referral produces better outcomes.
Advance Directives
Where to keep the documents so they are actually found
A well-drafted document that nobody can locate at the moment it is needed is the most common failure in end-of-life planning, and it is entirely preventable.
Advance Directives
Choosing a healthcare proxy, and what you are asking of them
The person who makes medical decisions for you if you cannot is doing one of the hardest jobs anyone can be asked to do. Choosing them on the basis of closeness is usually a mistake.
Advance Directives
Advance directives: what they cover and what they do not
Documents recording your wishes about future medical treatment go by different names in different places and carry different legal weight. Knowing which you have matters.