If a disease or accident left you incapacitated, would your loved ones know what to do? Do they know your wishes surrounding topics such as life support, resuscitation or hospice care? When you can’t make decisions for yourself, what will guide the decisions your family makes for you?

The topic of advance health care directives, or living wills, has been in the national spotlight lately due to two high-profile incidents. In California, a 13-year-old girl who was pronounced brain dead after a tonsillectomy was taken from a hospital by her family despite doctors’ conclusion that she would never recover. In Texas, a brain-dead woman is also being kept on life support, despite what family members say she would have wanted, because she was 19 weeks pregnant when she lost brain function and state law requires she therefore be kept alive.

As we’ve discussed these rare but moving stories in our newsroom, it seemed almost coincidental that we were also covering what we believe to be Vashon’s first-ever workshop on advance directives. While it’s not likely any islanders will find themselves in the strange and tragic situations that are making headline news, one Vashon woman involved in the upcoming workshop shares a story that hits closer to home and demonstrates the importance of planning ahead.

Kay Longhi, like many adults, has watched her elderly mother develop dementia. Now that her mother is in the advanced stages of the disease, Longhi and her sister disagree over how she would want to be cared for. Their mother left only vague instructions to guide their difficult decisions. A recent study in California found that 60 percent of people say that making sure their family is not burdened by tough decisions is “extremely important;” however, 56 percent have not communicated their end-of-life wishes to their loved ones. Discussing end-of-life issues with others isn’t easy or pleasant, but having the conversation — and even better, putting your wishes in writing — could very well bring some amount of ease to a process that can be painful for everyone.

Consider attending this weekend’s workshop by Compassion & Choices of Washington, even if you think you’re too young to create a living will. If you don’t attend, at least explore the information available at Compassion & Choices’ website (www.compassionwa.org). The internet is full of other resources, including state-specific worksheets to help you create your living will. If you simply need help starting the conversation, try www.theconversationproject.org.

We make plans in all areas of our lives, but often neglect to plan for how we end our lives. Make addressing end-of-life decisions a priority, if not for yourself, then for your family and loved ones. As Longhi, who is also the board president of Compassion & Choices, has found, lack of direction can lead to disagreement between family members during a time they should be leaning on one another. Though unpleasant to consider now, clarity could one day be a gift to your loved ones.