What is the Five Wishes document?
Created by Jim Towey and the nonprofit organization he founded, Aging with Dignity, Five Wishes is an advance directive that was introduced in 1996 as a Florida-only document combining a living will and health care power of attorney, while addressing matters of comfort care and spirituality.
In 1998, the American Bar Association's Commission on Law and Aging and medical experts introduced a national version. The Five Wishes document was originally distributed with support from a grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The Five Wishes document meets the requirements for an advance directive in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Eight states require a statutory form that must be attached to the Five Wishes document as a guide. Five Wishes is now the most widely used advance directive in America, with more than 18 million copies in circulation.
The Five Wishes document, described as a "living will with a heart and soul" by Mark Silva, a Miami Herald reporter, reflects the personal, emotional and spiritual needs, as well as medical issues, of the individual completing it. The document gives the individual a choice in health care decisions, that is, an opportunity to make personal choices about end-of-life care before Alzheimer’s disease progresses.
The document opens a dialogue between the person, family members, friends and physician, allowing important conversations to take place about end-of-life choices while also protecting that individual's wishes. As in the document's name, there are "Five Wishes" to be completed by the individual, including 1) selection of a health care agent — one who is going to make the decisions; 2) the kind of medical treatment desired; 3) the individual's desired comfort level; 4) how the individual wants to be treated; and 5) things the individual wants loved one to know.
Once the Five Wishes document is completed, the individual signs it and procures two witness statements of that signature. Notarization is required for residents in Missouri, North Carolina and West Virginia. The document should be kept in a special place in the home, easily accessible, and not in a safety deposit box. Copies should be shared with family members and with the physician. Should the individual be admitted to a hospital or nursing home, a copy of the document needs to accompany him or her. There is also a Five Wishes wallet card included in the form that can be carried so that others will know the individual’s health care agent and where his or her Five Wishes document is located.
It is beneficial for individuals to prepare so that personal decisions can be honored, and it will also remove the worry and burden for family members from choices they would otherwise have to make if these preparations were not made.
Call (888) 5-WISHES or visit  to order copies of the document.