Discussions About End of Life Care
Discussions about end of life care – see article in Indianapolis Star, Thursday November 12
This is something we usually want to avoid and is never easy to do, but the Holidays coming up is a good time to consider setting up a time to talk with your family about end of life planning — living will, health-care power of attorney, funeral arrangements. Engage with Grace, an on-line help initiative, suggests 5 key questions.
1. On a scale of 1 to 5, where do you fall on these statements. “Dying in your own bed with no intervention.” to “Don’t give up on me no matter what, try anything proven or unproven possible.”
2. If there were a choice, do you prefer to die at home or in the hospital?
3. Could a loved one correctly describe how you would like to be treated in the case of a terminal illness?
4. Is there someone you trust whom you have appointed to advocate on your behalf when the time is near?
5. Have you done any of the following: written a living will, appointed a health-care power of attorney, completed an advance directive, planned your funeral?
Helpful Resources
Engage With Grace (has a downloadable form)
Aging With Dignity, (offers a sample living wil
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization , at (has advance directives for each state)
The Indiana Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (has a free “Say You Care, Start the Conversation” packet you can order)
Web Sites Helpful for Health and Weight Loss
Spark People – free excellent website used by many of our staff and patients, that helps you record your calories, and gives you continued suggestions on how to eat, exercise, and get healthier
My Graphite – 30 day free trial then $5/month – can put in your weight goal and record calories and activity level, and the site helps you figure out the balance between eating and exercise to achieve your goal
Livestrong.com – Lance Armstongs free health website
