Completing the Forms
Choose an Advance Medical Directive that helps you describe not
only your medical wishes, but also your personal, emotional, and
spiritual wishes. Be specific when describing your wishes. Some
examples are:
I do not want to be in pain. I want my health
care providers to give me enough medication to relieve my pain,
even if it means that I will sleep more than usual.
I want to die in my home.
I want to have my favorite music played often,
even if I am seemingly unresponsive.
I want to have daily prayers said at my bedside.
I want friends and relatives to visit, hold
my hand, and talk to me about the daily lives of their families.
Five Wishes (www.agingwithdignity.org)
is an excellent advance directive that can help you describe your
wishes. It is gaining in popularity across the country and is
accepted in many states. It is easy to use and understand. It
does not use clinical or legal language. Clearly spelling out
even the smallest of details that are important to you will give
your surviving loved ones a sense of relief when they can help
to fulfill your wishes.
Munson Medical Center has copies of Five Wishes
that are specifically adapted to meet the legal requirements of
the State of Michigan. If you have questions about Five Wishes,
please contact Munson's Advance Care Planning at (231)
935-6176 or advancecareplanning@mhc.net.
Managing the Forms
Copies of your Advance Medical Directive should go to:
The person you have chosen to make decisions
for you
Your physician
Your family members
The hospital you most likely would be admitted
Many people use the Internet to retrieve and store
their advance directives. You may want to investigate this further
by visiting the following Web sites:
