For 25 years, Five Wishes has guided individuals and organizations in discussing advance care planning with their loved ones and members. Today, over 40 million people have filled out the legal document codifying their advance directives and end-of-life wishes. The low-cost booklet is written in 30 languages and is accessible as a digital or hard-copy document. The Five Wishes advance directive document was written with the assistance of the American Bar Association so that it would be legally valid under most states’ advance directive statutes.
The organization’s founder, Jim Towey, had the unique experience of working as Mother Teresa’s legal counsel for 12 years. Through their interactions, Jim and Mother Teresa grew to be friends, and he served as a trusted advisor. He later volunteered in her home in Washington, D.C., helping with AIDS patients. Inspired by Mother Teresa’s work, Jim also felt the calling to help people nearing their end of life. With her support he founded Aging with Dignity in 1996. Its mission is to “safeguard and affirm the human dignity of every person who faces challenges and opportunities of aging or a serious illness.” Two years later, Five Wishes was developed as the first advance care plan (ACP) to address personal, emotional, spiritual, and medical treatment wishes.
Five Wishes is the first living will or advance directive that addresses someone’s personal, emotional, and spiritual needs—as well as their medical wishes—with a very straightforward approach. Individuals check a box, circle a direction, or write a few sentences to choose a health-care proxy, indicate how they wish to be treated and cared for if seriously ill, and outline post-mortem wishes (both physically and emotionally). Conversation guides are also available, to help with prompts and suggestions for engaging loved ones or clients in the conversations. A starter kit is available for $25, and it includes five copies of the Five Wishes advance directive document and the conversation guide.
Once the booklet is filled out, it is important to discuss the resulting decisions with the chosen health-care agent, as well as with one’s doctor. The individual is encouraged to give a copy to their doctor to be placed in their file. The doctor is required by the laws of the state of residence to follow the wishes outlined in the Five Wishes advance care document.
Today, the Five Wishes is run by Joanne Eason, its president, who shares, “The work that end-of-life doulas provide is an important service for those who are concerned about the trajectory of their serious illness and making the transition to death. The Five Wishes framework is an excellent resource for doulas as it lays out the conversation regarding an individual’s requests regarding medical, personal, relationship and spiritual wishes.”
The booklet can be filled out by anyone over age 18. Outlining these essential needs before being diagnosed with a major illness or an event that leaves one unable to make health-care decisions on their own removes the guesswork for loved ones and families. The Five Wishes advance care directive is also a great tool for engaging one’s local community in a death-positive conversation that can leave friends, neighbors, houses of worship, and others prepared and clear about their wishes.