SafeMate for Dying to Know Day 2023.

What is Dying to Know Day?

Dying to Know Day is all about starting those important conversations with your loved ones to advocate for yourself by expressing your wants and needs, should anything medically life-changing happen to you.

If you were in an accident today, who knows what your wishes would be?

It can be a difficult conversation to navigate, so we’ve written down some small pointers to help you through this Dying to Know Day so that you can start the well-needed discussion with your loved ones.

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Although, certain questions can make us all a bit uncomfortable - more health professionals are begging ageing patients to sit down with their kids, partner, carers and friends to explain their wants and needs while they are still able to answer them. Instead of the people they love having to make difficult decisions on their behalf.

So, how do you start the conversation, and what kind of things do you need to say?

Well, many doctors and lawyers suggest the sooner the better.

To help prompt the conversation, we have done some research to generate pointers on how to navigate your way through this tenacious topic.

To start, it’s important to remind them WHY you need to discuss your desires and place your feelings in the mix, something like:

1. “I want to talk about my needs if anything happens to me.”

2. “Can we take a moment to discuss my future in the event of a life-changing medical emergency or accident.”

3. “It’s important to me that we discuss conditions of my life if I was involved in an accident or injury that affects my abilities.”

While the conversation can be challenging and a little daunting, this is a great time for everyone to express their feelings, but ultimately you are here to advocate for yourself and pronounce your wishes. Dying to Know Day is all about reminding people of the importance of their voice.

After all, those who care about you want to ensure your wishes are being met.

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Topics you might consider answering can include all of the things that can come up if something happens to a loved one, or in the event of death. While people can find these challenging to discuss now, having your wants and needs expressed and written down means there is less of a burden on your family to make these choices on your behalf during a far more stressful and scary time.

1. Conditions -
   Your wants and needs based on your physical and emotional abilities.

2. Organ Donation -
   If you are already a Registered Organ Donor, it’s important to let your family know and let them know the conditions you have agrees to through your registration process.

3. Questions for your Doctors -
   What would you like your family to ask the doctor about your state of abilities or cognition to help them understand your wishes?

4. Who will speak on your behalf -
   Specify who is your attorney and any important aspects of your Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) and Advanced Health Directive (AHD) including where they are located.

5. Get SafeMate-
   SafeMate has sections specific to End of Life instructions such as where your EPA & AHD are located, whether you are an Organ Donor, Emergency Contact details and any other specific requests you may have.

Remember that if you do not yet have these legal documents organised, now is the time.

According to Advance Care Planning Australia, if you haven’t already organised these legal documents, the perfect time is right after this conversation with your family:

1. Complete an Enduring Power of Attorney

2. Complete an Advance Health Directive

3. Complete a Statement of Choices

Once you have had these legal documents taken care of, it’s very important to keep them up-to-date if anything changes.

So why is SafeMate helpful?

Well, just by wearing SafeMate you already have a spokesperson that can instruct paramedics on important details, like those listed above. You know that no matter what might happen you are easily identifiable and your specific requests are noted.

SafeMate speaks for you in a medical emergency.

To learn more about how SafeMate can help you speak this Dying to Know Day, head to our website at GetSafeMate.Com to see if SafeMate works for you.