Sharon Farr was our most wonderful guest speaker for the final Mini-Med session of 2014. Sharon is the founder of Partners for Transitions, offering “planning, guidance and partnership for aging, illness and end of life planning”. Although end of life “planning” evokes images of yet another dull domestic chore, Sharon Farr brilliantly infused her talk with spirit and living memory from her decades of experience.
Rather than beginning to tidy your affairs after a terminal diagnosis, she made it clear that life often presents you with unexpected circumstances. You may be the innocent victim of a drunk driver, hospitalized far away from home and family. It is likely you will not be able to manage your medical and financial affairs, and you may die during that hospitalization. Who will be your medical advocate and who will manage your affairs if you cannot? If there is one take home message from her talk, it is that end of life planning must occur well in advance of need.
Everyone attending received a copy of The Five Wishes. This document has proven to be extremely useful in her work. You can access a copy directly from the website of Aging with Dignity at http://www.agingwithdignity.org/ . We reviewed the Five Wishes and Sharon Farr gave insights from her professional experience. She also emphasized the importance of reviewing your choices annually.
Sharon Alexa Farr can be contacted at:
Partners for Transitions
P.O. Box 2996
Camel, CA 93921
831-626-1943
www.partnersfortransitions.com
For further reading:
Knocking on Heaven’s Door: the path to a better way of death by Katy Butler
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande