Why Should I Care About Advance Care Planning Now?

There is no doubt about it. We are a "kick the can down the road" society, especially when it comes to making our own healthcare wishes known.

One of the most important things we can do for ourselves and those we love is to ensure that our wishes are clear, that they have been communicated to our loved ones and rendered in a way that is legally binding.

But too many of us may find it easy to dismiss something that probably won't happen for a long time, like our own death. However, we must get past thinking that we can put off our medical emergancy planning into the future because, too often, it never actually gets done.

Nearly 70% of people die without their care wishes known. This leaves family members, who often don't agree on what is best, stuck with trying to decide what it is that we wanted--or injecting their own personal views about these kinds of decisions.

We might be healthy now, but what happens if we become very sick or injured in the future and can't speak for ourselves?