COLORADO SPRINGS — The pandemic has taught us that nothing in life is promised and it’s been a time of reflection for many families. And unfortunately, those who lost loved ones were forced to make tough decisions in a fleeting period of time.
Silver Key Senior Services decided to offer the Five Wishes document as one of their services, after seeing the abrupt stress that was placed on families during this difficult time.
And while it can seem morbid to plan your passing away, the purpose of the document is to provide you with a peace of mind. While losing a loved one can be a challenge, deciding on what that loved one wants at their death bed is another challenge. Silver Key Senior Services discovered several families were facing this struggle during the pandemic. The Five Wishes legal document is a legal document anyone at any age can fill out. The document allows you to answer five questions that you want to be handled in the case of your passing.
“Everybody should fill this out. I think that it’s super important because it’s one of those things that you never know when. You know there are a lot of situations where I’ve taken care of people my age if not younger. I’ve taken care of all across the lifespan so it’s one of those things that I don’t think you want to wish that you did it. You’ll be thankful that you did,” said Hannah Mosier, Emergency Room Nurse, UC Health Memorial Central, Silver Key volunteer.
“When you have your will, your estate planning, and more importantly, your Five Wishes all in order, you can now proceed on with life, with very few worries. You won’t have the trepidation that your family is going to fight over what you want. “He wants this kind of care, and this kind of care.” It puts you in the driver’s seat and allows you to make those kind of decisions,” said Ron Burge, Veterans Stay at Home Initiative Volunteer, Silver Key.
The five questions the document allows you to answer questions that could make things a lot easier for your loved ones.
They are:
1.) The person that I want to make health decisions for me when I cannot.
2.) The kind of medical treatment I want or don't want.
3.) How comfortable I want to be.
4.) How I want people to treat me.
5.) What I want my loved ones to know.
Those at Silver Key stress that this isn’t just Covid-19 related. Nothing in life is predictable and the people they have helped so far have expressed gratitude that this document was taken care of.
Anyone who wishes to fill out a Five Wishes legal document can visit here.
