At ExSitu, we know you want to prepare for all the possibilities. So today, we’re taking you through some of the issues you may encounter with end of life planning. And we’re explaining the ExSitu advance care platform in detail.
Here’s what you can do to make your end of life planning easier and more efficient with ExSitu
Beyond advance care
When you think about the phrase ‘advance care’, it’s meant to be your safety net if you lose the ability to communicate. Advance care documentation answers for you when you no longer can.
Death and what it means to have well-supported end-of-life looms large in our imagination. It tends to dwarf our waking thoughts once we begin pondering.
However, there is a limit to standard advance care documentation. Checkbox forms don’t allow you and your values to shine through. Plus, the way you’re recording this information can influence the quality. A standard run-through doesn’t always capture the values and ideals you hold dear.
It’s these values and ideals that make up the recipe for who you are. What we value in life, what we will stand up for, and what we will let go, these set the limits of who we are as people. Our values reflect what we will go into battle to protect.
Values are those small, intricate details we hold onto throughout our lives. They are the quiet moments, too, that we don’t often share with other people. Take for example charity work. While many older Australians are active volunteers, it’s not common knowledge within the family. Hobbies, rituals and even aspects of faith you hold dear may not even be on your family’s radar.
By using ExSitu, you can deliver your thoughts, feelings and impressions via a series of questions. The framework within ExSitu answers all the questions required by aged care and end of life documentation. It also gives you greater opportunity to expand on those answers and make them work for you.
This includes information such as:
- What you value more during particular situations
- Discussing your beliefs in greater detail
- What your version of quality of life entails
- How you feel about medical intervention – and where the limits may be
- What your version of dignity looks like in a care environment
- Collecting the thoughts and words you may not say today but would want your loved ones to know tomorrow.
You can build a wholistic and robust values map that can stand in your stead. It’s your roadmap to advocacy and to capturing what makes you, you.
How the card sorting process helps you
ExSitu helps gather your values and decisions through a process called card sorting. It sounds like something you’d find in a tent at the fair with a fortune teller. But card sorting is a process where you give value to the decisions you need to make. It’s like giving priority to the decisions you want to make to do with your aged care, health care, treatment, and more.
ExSitu asks you to reflect on scenarios and choices you may encounter. ExSitu then uses these reflections to create a detailed map of your values and what you hold dear.
It combines documents and conversations in one exercise. That way, you meet all the needs of the legal framework. Plus, it gives you invaluable insights into what matters to you. It provides conversational prompts to help you open the door to conversations with your family. And many members describe a sense of relief and comfort with talking about their wishes they didn’t think possible before.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks we know for families is getting the courage to talk about death. You are likely keen to have your wishes respected and your ideas heard. You want peace of mind. The family may delay the conversations, not realising they are adding to your anxiety. But we both know you cannot delay the inevitable. Having a positive and stress-free conversation can help everyone feel comfortable and organised.
That’s why ExSitu includes questions and ideas that you can take from our platform directly to the dinner table. We pave the way for the discomfort surrounding the end of life conversations to disappear.
What’s included in ExSitu?
ExSitu fills the gap in the advance care planning space as well as supporting existing documents in aged care and end of life.
As a companion to your other end of life plans, ExSitu sits alongside your will, power of attorney and other decision-making documents. As a map of your values, it templates the risks you’re willing to accept, and what makes life worth living. It’s a time capsule of your heartfelt choices and desires. It defines the lines between autonomy and support, quality and quantity of life, and more.
Our framework addresses the common clinical documents used in a care environment such as:
- Aged care
- Advance care
- Detailed medical decisions
- Legal documents – such as will, power of attorney
ExSitu prompts you to update your documentation at regular intervals. It also teaches you to navigate the end of life process with confidence. Which means you learn how all the documents represent you and your wishes. And the importance of regular updates when your circumstances change.
How does the process work?
Individual 28-days access
You can sign up as an individual and take yourself through the portal. You can complete your own documentation within a 28-days period by yourself on your own terms. This is ideal for individuals who want an easy to follow the framework in your own home. It also helps to have the 28-days deadline to keep you accountable. All this for $49 for 28-days of access, complete with downloadable forms at the end.
In-person support
An intimate conversation needs an intimate approach. That’s why we offer in-person support at ExSitu. This is ideal for anyone who may be feeling nervous about having an end of life conversations. Or who feels at odds with legal, financial and other forms of documentation. It’s also great for someone who enjoys talking things through. You’re welcome to have individualised attention or bring the family. The choice is yours. POA
Group consultations
To cater to the needs of aged care facilities, medical departments, workplaces and/or formalised community groups, ExSitu offers a business package. This business package covers practitioners, care providers and more. It includes access to the platform for individuals as well as training for group leaders to conduct your own in-house management of the platform use.
End of life on your terms
ExSitu is the only platform in the world that treats end of life care as a complete process. It offers you the ability to house your legal and medical documentation alongside a robust advance care plan. It’s also the only platform that understands intimate choices related to autonomy, dignity and choice. And it caters to key areas such as the dignity of risk while qualifying what life means to you.
We’ve worked hard to place all the information you need together with the person you are in a safe yet accessible space.
Our clients find talking about end of life become much easier after working with ExSitu. We aim to reduce the stress and potential for problems with every client while giving you peace of mind.
Make the decision to make your end of life journey as stress-free and accessible as possible. Contact ExSitu now.
Image credit: Brett Jordan via Unsplash
