Take care of dying, get on with living

The greatest gift you can give your family and friends is your carefully thought out plan for handling the unexpected events at the end of your life. Here--all in one place--are the basic decisions you need to make as long as you’re living: Your Durable Power of Attorney and your Health Care Directive. Who to choose? What skills to look for? What to do in emergencies? Learn about new issues when you turn terminal. As you know more, you’ll want to decide more. It’s about control. Communicating with your health care professional and your agent—who will speak for you when you can’t--becomes critical. You want them to follow your decisions in your Health Care Directive. None of this is a single conversation--it’s an ever-changing process. It’s your life.