Planning for death is a difficult but necessary conversation to have, and it's one that I found myself having more and more as I watched my father's health decline. Twelve days of nursing him in the 'dying room' of a hospital on Queensland's Sunshine Coast taught me the value of having these conversations and the importance of advance care planning. While it's a sensitive topic, it's one that needs to be addressed, and I believe that it's a conversation that should be had by everyone, not just those who are facing the end of life.
What makes life worth living? For my father, it was the simple pleasures: enjoying his food, walking to the local shop to buy a newspaper, and reading books to his grandchildren. These were the things that brought him joy, and as he became sicker, these simple pleasures became more and more elusive. It made me realize that sometimes, the things that make life worth living are the things that we take for granted, and that we should cherish every moment we have.
I think about this a lot, and it's one of the reasons why I'm so passionate about advance care planning. It's not just about recording preferences for treatment, but also about outlining values that might be relevant at the end of life. For example, my father wanted to be kept pain-free, and he wanted to die as swiftly as possible without medical intervention beyond palliative care. These are important decisions that should be made by the individual, and it's crucial that they are documented.
One of the things that struck me the most about my father's experience was the importance of having a legally binding advance health directive. In Queensland, this is known as an advance health directive (AHD), and it's a legally binding document that records what a person wants in the event that they do not have the capacity to make or communicate decisions about their own healthcare or treatment. Without such a directive, families can find themselves in dispute about treatment decisions, and it can be a difficult and stressful time for everyone involved.
In my opinion, advance care planning is a vital part of ensuring that a person's wishes are respected at the end of life. It's not just about recording preferences for treatment, but also about outlining values and ensuring that the person's quality of life is maintained. I believe that everyone should take the time to consider their own advance care planning, and that it's a conversation that should be had by everyone, not just those who are facing the end of life.
One thing that immediately stands out is the importance of having a legally appointed 'enduring guardian'. This person can speak for the individual in the absence of written instructions, and it's crucial that they are able to do so. In my father's case, we knew what he wanted, but without a legally appointed guardian, it would have been difficult for us to ensure that his wishes were respected.
In conclusion, planning for death is a difficult but necessary conversation to have. It's a conversation that should be had by everyone, not just those who are facing the end of life. By taking the time to consider our own advance care planning, we can ensure that our wishes are respected and that our quality of life is maintained. It's a conversation that can be difficult, but it's one that's worth having, and I believe that it's a conversation that should be had by everyone.
