Have you thought about – what would happen if you were hospitalized for any reason and are unable to make decisions about your own healthcare?
Have you thought about – who would carry out your wishes if you become unable to speak for yourself?

In situations like these, family members and loved ones have to make critical, life altering decisions on your behalf. It puts the burden on the family members to make difficult decisions when they are emotionally fragile and may not make decisions on your care as you would want.

Alarmingly over 85 % of us either do not know about the “Health Care Proxy & Living Will (HCP)” or its need and importance. As we live our busy lives, taking care of important matters which are not “urgent” is often neglected. Sadly, preparing HCP falls in this category. We may recognize that making informed decisions could have important benefits for our heath care at the most vulnerable time in our life and impact our loved ones, but it is still neglected. Among the reasons for not preparing “Health Care Proxy and Living Will” are:

  • The belief that preparation of Health Care Proxy and Living Will would be complicated and can only be done with the help of a lawyer. This would require an investment of time and legal fees.
  • Concern about addressing such a difficult and emotional subject, how to begin and navigate through the process, legal language, and jargon.
  • Although important, it is not urgent and therefore is postponed (in other words, procrastination)!

Our efforts to address this serious problem take on various forms. ICC conducts free workshops where participants receive detailed information, education, and answers to their questions.

Why attend a workshop?

  • Understand the need and considerations in preparing this important and often neglected legal document
  • Guidance to express your wishes about YOUR health care preferences
  • Receive FREE copies of ‘easy to use document’ Five Wishes for all the members of your family over the age of 18
  • Take care of this important matter for you and your family
  • Save hundreds of dollars ($$) and avoid delays!

This allows the attendees to complete a widely accepted document Five Wishes®. Attendees go home with a fully completed and legally enforceable document. These workshops are often planned and co-sponsored by an organization or individuals.

Contact us if you would like us to organize a  Free workshop for your organization

Impact

16,000

Free Five Wishes® documents provided

90

Workshops conducted

16

No. of states covered

Five Wishes document provides an easy way to express your decisions about these five wishes

  • Wish 1: Selecting Health Care Proxy
    Naming a primary person/s to act on our behalf and choose the level and extent of authority given to your proxy.
  • Wish 2: Choose the medical care you want and avoid what you do not want – called a Living Will.

In addition to the legally required wishes covered above, the following three wishes are important and add unique dimensions.

  • Wish 3: How comfortable you want to be
  • Wish 4: Your choice of support by friends and family
  • Wish 5: Expressing our values of deep importance

Follow up instructions are provided to finalize the document, distribution and sharing with family members, proxies, as well as health care providers, and routine review and updating as necessary.

To get a copy of the Five Wishes document to get started with this important step

  • Fill out the below form to get a free copy for each adult (over the age of 18) in your household
    Click here
  • Review, discuss this simple document with your loved ones
  • Decide and document your wishes
  • Have it signed by two witnesses
  • Get a sense of accomplishment for completing an important task

Our Partners and Associated organizations

Aging with Dignity (www.fivewishes.org ): is a publisher Five Wishes® of this most widely used Health Care Proxy document in the United States.

The Conversation Project

(https://theconversationproject.org/) and ICC share a common goal and we enjoy a supportive relationship with each other.  ICC benefits from their wonderful work.

Mass Coalition of Serious Illness Care

(http://www.maseriouscare.org/): ICC is a member of the Coalition and we collaborate to accomplish mutual goals.

What Our Community Members Say