How Does End-of-Life Planning Work?

Planning for our end-of-life is a difficult topic. Most of us don’t like to think about or discuss it. Without planning, we will have fewer options, and things may not go as well as we would like.

You may wish to pass away in the comfort of your home, but without making proper arrangements in advance, you may end up in a hospital or nursing home. Or you may be kept alive by artificial means for a long period when you would rather pass on.

By planning for your end-of-life care, you can rest easier knowing that you can control what happens.

End-of-life experiences differ from person to person. For some people, death comes quickly. For others, the process can take days, weeks, or even months. Sometimes, a person’s body weakens while their mind remains lucid. In other cases, the body continues to function, but the mind fades with dementia. And with a severe illness or accident, a person may be comatose before their body and mind both cease to function.

People who are near the end of their lives generally need care in four areas:

Think about how you want your needs met in these areas and your preference for where you want to receive care. Do you want to spend the end of your life in your home, hospital, or other medical facility? Do you want family and friends with you? Would you prefer to receive care and treatment until the end or for a specified time? How long would you want to receive palliative care for a serious illness, and at what point would you want to begin hospice?

Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses, such as cancer. In addition to receiving treatment for their serious illness, patients receive palliative care for the symptoms of the illness, the effects of the treatment, or both. An example of palliative care would be a patient treating anemia caused by complications of cancer.