ABN works primarily with those involved in offering care or influencing the health care system.  The goal of the work is to improve the ethical practices and decision-making within the system to reduce the moral distress encountered by patients and care givers dealing with life threatening or life ending choices. As part of that effort, the resources offered here can be used to educate the public in advance of the time when they are faced with serious ethical chocies and conflicts.

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Support for Life Planning for Adults of All Ages

Planning for medical emergencies and end-of-life care is an important task all adults should address since such planning can reduce the moral distress experienced by families and health care workers. ABN seeks to advance and support wider public use of life care planning through its members, its educational programs and ongoing community involvement.

1. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office offers a Life Care Planning Packet of forms including durable powers of attorney for health and mental health, a Living Will for end-of-life care, a Letter to my Agent (Representative), and a Pre-hospital Medical Directive (Do not resuscitate).  Few people have completed any or all of these documents to ensure their wishes are carried out when they enter the health care system. Go to the site to download the information.

2.  Arizona is one of 42 states that legally accept documents developed using the Five Wishes approach to life care planning.  It is available in 23 languages.  In layman’s language a person is asked their wishes about: 1) The person I want to make care decisions for me when I can’t; 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; and 5) What I want my loved ones to know.

3. Hospice of the Valley provides written material, forms and video about making helath care decisions at the end of life.

4. The Arizona Medical Board provides information on advance directives and living wills.