It's Older Americans Month, but you're never too young to plan for the end of life

DALLAS, April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- May marks a celebration of Older Americans Month, however leaders at Community Hospice of Texas believe no one is too young to plan ahead for the end of life. Devastating accidents, injuries or illnesses can happen at any age putting decisions about your care into someone else's hands. Today, Community Hospice of Texas launches "What's Your Plan?" to inspire and motivate Texans to plan ahead to ensure a quality life through the end of life.

With their experience in providing expert end-of-life care, Community Hospice of Texas is leading a region-wide initiative to provide information and resources on preparing for the end of life. The purpose of "What's Your Plan?" is to prompt the community to think about their end-of-life options and wishes including hospice and palliative care by providing resources and tools to indicate their preferences and directives and encouraging community members to share their directives with their family, attorney and/or physician. The instructions and forms to document wishes for end-of-life care comply with Texas law.

"We plan for many of life's milestone moments including weddings, a new baby, career paths and retirement," said Andrea Green, RN, chief executive officer for Community Hospice of Texas. "But for one of the absolute occurrences in life that we all experience – death – many of us fail to plan for the end of life the way we should. Making your end of life wishes known long before a medical crisis occurs can make a huge difference – not only for your own peace of mind, but for the confidence of your family in following your decisions."

According to a study published in the American Medical News, "More than 80% of [adults surveyed] believe it is important to have their end-of-life wishes in writing, yet less than a quarter of them have accomplished that planning."

To support communities in North and Central Texas in starting this important conversation, Community Hospice of Texas has developed an easy-to-use website (www.Whats-Your-Plan.info) with resources and tools.  The site:

• Guides readers through thinking about and exploring care options for a serious or life-limiting illness
• Provides tools that help simplify communicating each person's preferences and directives
• Helps people to write down their preferences and make the documents legal
• Guides participants through sharing their preferences with their family, attorney and/or physician, including suggestions on how to store their directives for safekeeping and easy access
• Offers brief videos featuring personal stories of North and Central Texas residents

"'What's Your Plan?' is an education and action-oriented initiative to encourage people to not only think about their preferences for care and support at end of life, but to communicate their wishes to their loved ones," Green said. "We understand that this is not an easy discussion to have, but remember you are not alone. Community Hospice of Texas offers a wealth of information and can be utilized as a resource no matter what your preferences and directives are."

In addition to the "What's Your Plan?" website, additional information can be found on Community Hospice of Texas' website (www.CHOT.org), Facebook page and Twitter. If you have any questions about developing or documenting your plan, call Community Hospice of Texas at 817.870.2795.

About Community Hospice of Texas
Community Hospice of Texas is the largest provider of nonprofit hospice services in the state. As a mission-driven organization, Community Hospice of Texas advocates for the needs of people suffering from serious and life-limiting illnesses. Services include expert medical care for adults, children and infants, emotional and spiritual support for the patient and family from an extensive, coordinated team of professionals and volunteers, comprehensive bereavement support and education.

SOURCE Community Hospice of Texas