Today is National Advance Care Planning Day

What’s National Advance Care Planning Day, you ask? It’s a day for Canadians and their loved ones to think about the decisions we all need to make at the end of life. It’s a day to begin a difficult but important conversation about your wishes for end-of-life care, or to revisit whatever plans you may have already made.

I know it sounds like a downer, but it doesn’t have to be. The fact that it’s such an uncomfortable conversation is exactly what keeps far too many people from having it, often until they’re forced to confront it. And the flip side of that, of course, is the security and peace of mind that come with making a plan.

You can visit advancecareplanning.ca to discover how to make your own plan, and how to help others make theirs. You can learn about the National Framework for Advance Care Planning, and the Speak Up Campaign that’s been designed to spread the word about advance care planning. You can even download some materials you can use to get involved in the campaign.

If you need a little encouragement, you can also check out four personal stories about advance care planning, courtesy of a terrific news site called eHospice. Hopefully, they’ll show you what a difference a plan can make.

It’s important as individuals that we think about our families and our future, and it’s important as a country that we open up a broader discussion on these eventualities. Please take a moment today to visit these sites and learn more.

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