April 16th is Advance Care Planning Day in Canada!

Did you know that TODAY is Advance Care Planning Day in Canada?

Did you know that some of the best conversations that we will have in our lives will be about what matters to each of us as individuals, what we value, what we hope for, what we live for…. what we want, what we do not want, what we fear, what helps us face struggles, and who we would like to speak on our behalf if and when we are not able to speak for ourselves?

Canada has a fabulous website, www.Advancecareplanning.ca . The campaign helping Canadians to talk with one another about future health and personal care preferences is called the “Speak Up Campaign”.

Easter weekend is coming up, Time to go huntin’ for Easter Eggs, consider the idea of life after death, and it is also a great time to consider life before death…

This may be a time to talk openly with kids and with parents about “what would you want if….” and get to know one another better.

According to the most current research, we are all going to die. 10% of us will die suddenly. 20% of us will have a clear terminal diagnosis and perhaps a relatively clear prognosis…. but 70% of us will die with one or more chronic diseases. Of those 70% at least half of them will not know a week before they die that this will be their last week.

Based on these numbers, approximately 55% of people will not know a week before they die that this will be their last week.

If you wait to talk about dying until you KNOW you are dying, you may not be doing much talking!

Have a look at the Advance Care Planning website.

Early morning conversation about "what I want when I am dying". — Early morning conversation about “what I want when I am dying”.

FYI, This photo of my mum, Yetta Lees Strasdine and myself, was taken by my sister Barb Lees, early one morning about seven weeks after my mum was diagnosed with a terminal cancer. Yetta, true to her style, wanted to talk about what was important to her. You can be sure that she did not want us making decisions for her that she did not want! Interesting, at that point, the surgeon had told her that she had six to 12 months to live. She did not know that she only had a few weeks. It sure helped us when we cared for her in the coming weeks to know what was important to her.

If you look closely at this photo, you will notice the collage of activities, books, computer, projects, quilt, printer, people and photos … just a few of the things that this 82 year old was engaged in.