In 1997, Aging with Dignity, introduced Five Wishes, an approved advance directive, with support from a grant by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation's largest philanthropy devoted to health and health care. Arbor Hospice utilizes Five Wishes to help patients, their families and the community express their health care wishes in advance of serious illness.

Five Wishes lets your family and doctors know:

• Who you want to make health care decisions for you when you cannot make them yourself.
• The kind of medical treatment you do or do not want.
• How comfortable you want to be.
• How you want people to treat you.
• What you want your loved ones to know.

According to Aging with Dignity, more than 18 million copies of Five Wishes are in circulation, distributed by more than 35,000 organizations. Five Wishes meets the legal requirements in 42 states, including Michigan.

Five Wishes is available in print or online. Please visit the Aging with Dignity website for an online version of Five Wishes.

Arbor Hospice offers free community presentations about advance directives and Five Wishes. Please see our calendar for upcoming presentations, or you may request a presentation by contacting Margaret Adrain at (734) 794-5105 or madrain@arborhospice.org.