Compassionate Advance Care Planning

Medical Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions
Advance Directive for Medical/Surgical Treatment
Selecting a Health Care Agent • Living Will

Getting Your Ducks In a Row

help your parents
help your kids
help your partner
help yourself

"Have a conversation with your family about your end-of-life wishes while you are healthy. No one wants to have that discussion... but if you do, you'll be giving your loved ones a tremendous gift, since they won't have to guess what your wishes would have been, and it takes the onus of responsibility off of them."
- Jodi Picoult

My grandmother often used the expression "Getting your ducks in a row" when referring to any type of important preparatory tasks that need to be done. It is surprising how many people have a Will or Trust completed but haven't done Advance Care Plans. Just as one doesn't want to burden their loved ones with a long list of complex financials to sort out after their passing, we should also consider the difficult medical decisions one often faces with illness, injury and aging. Our loved ones do not know what we would want regarding our medical wishes unless we've put it in writing and discussed it with them. And if we have not designated a health care agent to help guide these decisions then who will? Why do we put our future quality of life at risk?

What Advance Care Planning (ACP) ISN'T:

It's not about setting up medical care like assisted living or home care.
It's not only for elderly or sick people. Everyone 18 and older should have some Advance Care Plans completed.
It's not something you should delay. It's best to complete when you are not stressed or under time pressure. Don't wait until you have an upcoming surgery or when you are diagnosed with a chronic illness.
It's not something set in stone. You can change your ACP at any time.
It's not something that takes a lot of time. The process can be completed in just a few hours (or less if you are a young adult without any medical or cognitive challenges).

What it IS:

It's an essential part of being a responsible adult. Don't place burdens on loved ones if difficult healthcare decisions need to be made for you and they don't know what you would want. This causes significant stress.
It's about taking control of your life and preparing if you are in an accident and unable to communicate what medical interventions you do or don't want to have, as well as for decisions related to a severe illness or advanced aging.
It's selecting a trustworthy person who agrees to follow your healthcare wishes if you are faced with a situation where you can no longer communicate.
It's filling out various ACP forms, like a Living Will, CPR Directive, or Durable Power of Medical Attorney.

When you work with Little Duck Planning:

You'll have assistance all the way through the process - from selecting which forms are necessary at this point in your life, to being guided through a conversation to help you better understand your own feelings, values, and wishes so you can make decisions about what medical interventions (like machine-aided breathing, CPR, feeding tube and more) you may or may not want if you were in a serious medical situation.
You'll also have a conversation to share any relevant wishes related to your religious or spiritual beliefs/traditions, ways you find comfort, and more.
You'll be given information on how to properly store and share your ACP documents.
You'll have someone to hold you accountable for getting them done. This is important. Many of us need that extra nudge!

"When the time comes for end-of-life planning, you want to work with someone who is knowledgable, compassionate, and capable of achieving the goal of preparing the paperwork you need. Laura offers all that and more. She is a pleasure to work with!

- Evan J. Roth, attorney

Who needs Advance Care Plans?

Everyone over the age of 18 should have Advance Care Plans. However, your age and your overall cognitive and physical health determines which documents need to be completed to create a thorough Advance Care Plan. Please click on your age range below to learn more.

Age 18 to 59
Age 60+

If you are healthy (cognitively and physically):

If you are NOT healthy (cognitively and physically):

If you are healthy (cognitively and physically):

If you are NOT healthy (cognitively and physically):

"We want those who care for us to know our hearts, our deepest fears, what we live for and would die for. That is, and it always will be, our deepest desire."
- Abraham Verghese, MD, Stanford University Department of Medicine

Questions and Answers

Because unfortunately we are all at risk of being in a severe accident (especially auto related) and it is better to be prepared than be in the position where one wishes they had done the work to set things up ahead of time per their desires.

There is no better time than now to get this done! The diagnosis of a chronic illness especially creates the need for your Advance Care Plans to be completed so you can rest assured your loved ones will be able to help guide your care in the way you want it.

First, congratulations! This is an exciting time in your lives. Yes, absolutely! Creating Advance Care Plans is part of getting our ducks in a row, in addition to wills, trusts, and life insurance. It's part of being prepared for each other and your family.

I am available to discuss the factors to consider when filling out a MOST (Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment) form. However, your father's primary care practitioner will need to be involved as it requires their signature.

There is no need to turn the house upside down looking for old plans. Simply creating new Advance Care Plans will void the old one. Also, if your aunt had these done years ago it is highly likely she would need to redo her plans anyway because of the "5 Ds."

I can't stress enough how important it is to know if your parents have completed their Advance Care Plans. I would guess they haven't since you aren't aware of them. Sharing plans with family members is an extremely important part of the process of completing Advance Care Plans. Many families struggle with how to discuss issues related to hard situations like a medical crisis. I urge you to prioritize a conversation on this, as challenging as this topic can be, as it is much harder to be put in the position to make sudden decisions about a loved one's care options in an emergency situation when you aren't prepared. It causes significant stress and can create much tension within a family if members disagree on what care option choices.

If you would like to schedule a complimentary call with me I can help offer suggestions on this topic. Please email () or call 720-301-1645 if you are interested.

You should review your Advance Care Plans upon any of the following events:

Decade - update every 10 years
Death - of someone close
Diagnosis - if you have a serious illness
Divorce - if someone is listed as a healthcare agent who you are now divorced from then the contract is void
Decline - significant decline of an existing health condition, especially when unable to live alone

When you have completed your Advance Care Plans and selected your health care agent, you can rest assured disputes will be minimized because your healthcare wishes are in writing and you have chosen a person to oversee these wishes. Family conflict can still happen but the stress becomes much less when plans have been properly completed.

"The end of life deserves as much beauty, care and respect as the beginning."
- Anonymous

Compassionate Advance Care Planning

Getting Your Ducks In a Row

What Advance Care Planning (ACP) ISN'T:

What it IS:

When you work with Little Duck Planning:

Who needs Advance Care Plans?

Questions and Answers

Why do I need to do this if I'm a healthy 20 year old?

If I was recently diagnosed with heart disease and don't have any Care Plans, is now a good time to make plans?

My husband and I are expecting a baby. We are planning to create wills, but should we also create our Advance Care Plans now?

My 80-year-old father recently started receiving in-home care and needs a MOST form on his refrigerator. Is this something you can help me with?

My elderly aunt recently told me she filled out care plans years ago but doesn't remember when or where they are. What should I do?

My parents are both really healthy and in their 70s. I don't know if they have their Advance Care Plans completed. Is this something I should ask them? Do you have any suggestions on how to bring it up because my parents don't like to talk about aging challenges.

What are the 5 Ds related to when one needs to review their Advance Care Plans?

What happens if I have my Advance Care Plans completed and my children can't agree on the which medical decision to make during my health crisis?