| Assessing Readiness: |
| “If you were to get very sick, is there anyone you trust to make medical decisions for you, and have you talked with this person about what is important to you? Can we talk about this today?” |
| Educating and Motivating: |
| “Because of illness or an accident, most patients will be unable to make their own decisions at some time in their life.” |
| “Because making decisions for someone is very stressful, you could help to take the burden off of your family/friends by starting to think about what would be important to you if were to become very sick.” |
| “When patients talk with me and their loved ones about what would be important to them if they were to become very sick it helps them to keep a sense of control about their medical care and to have peace of mind.” |
| Addressing Barriers: |
| “Are there things that you worry about when you think about your loved one making decisions for you?” |
| “Are there reasons it is difficult to talk about such things with me or your loved ones?” |
