KIMBALL -- Dr. Bush with Kimball Health Services is urging the public to create a living will. 

A “Living Will, or “Advanced Directive,” is a plan of care that you create while you're of sound, mind and judgement to be put in place when you become incapacitated and can’t speak for yourself. 

There is also a form that can be substituted as a living will, known as the “Five Wishes.” 

Bush says, “It is to be used when you can’t communicate, and no one can ask you what you want, so you put this in place before that happens."

The form lays out the following wishes: 

1 – Indicate the person you want to be making care decisions for you. Who is the person you trust to make a decision on your behalf? 

2 – Decide what kind of medical treatment you wish for. How aggressive do you want the doctors to be about treating you? 

3 – Explain the level of comfort you want to have and what that looks like. Would you like a bath, a cool washcloth on your forehead, ect.? 

“It may seem like small things, but going through this exercise and thinking about what that situation might be is really helpful for both you and those who will be caring for you,” Bush says. 

4 – Indicate how you want people to treat you. Going off of wish three, how do you want those interactions to be and where do you want those interactions to occur? 

5 – Write a letter or journal entry for your loved ones. What are the things you want your loved ones to know that can be passed on as a way to provide closure for them? 

“This is a relatively new initiative, and I have seen these far too few times,” Bush says. “Often times, we are making these decisions under duress where relatives don’t know the true wishes, so they are basing decisions off of assumptions.” 

Patients can get a “Five Wishes” form at KHS clinic, and if it is notarized, it is considered a legal document that acts as a living will or advanced directive.  

Bush adds that the clinic does have a notary, so you don’t have to look elsewhere to get that completed.