SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - When Yellowknife resident Heather Chang found out her sister was dying of breast cancer, she urged her to draft a will, outline the kind of medical care she wanted in her last days and find someone who could act as power of attorney.

Leanne Dragon, a partner at Dragon Toner law office in Yellowknife, was one of the experts who spoke at the "End of Life Decisions" panel discussion last Wednesday. The Stanton Territorial Health Authority hosted the event at Nova Court. - Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison/NNSL photo

"She called me a lot of names," Chang, a patient representative and former nurse at Stanton Territorial Hospital, said of her reaction.

But eventually her sister followed her advice, and even picked out the colour of flowers she wanted at her funeral.

"Although it was sad, it was exactly to the letter what she wanted," Chang said.

"It was the best possible outcome."

Last Wednesday, Chang and the Stanton Territorial Health Authority gathered five experts to talk about "end of life decisions" Yellowknifers have to make.

They stressed the point that being organized can save people money, and also alleviate the burden placed on one's grieving family.

"You're not bringing death on faster, your not inviting it, but you're making it easier on yourself and your family," Leanne Dragon, a partner at the Dragon Toner law office, told the crowd of 25 gathered for the panel discussion.

She said having a will, power of attorney and personal directive are the three big things every Yellowknifer should have.

A will lays out where all your assets go, which could mean to your spouse, children, siblings or even charity.

A power of attorney gives someone the ability to sign legal documents for you and access your bank accounts.

A personal directive gives someone the power to make decisions about your health care and day-to-day life, which could mean everything from the kind of care home you would want to live in to if you want to receive CPR if you stop breathing.

Dr. Rob Butcher, a medical ethics consultant from London, Ontario, mediated the discussion.

"I think I would have called (the panel discussion) 'Death: Is it all that bad?'" he joked to the crowd.

Butcher said it all comes down to thinking about what you care about now, and then ensuring it's upheld when you can no longer make decisions.

He added that whatever decisions you make now can always be changed further down the road.

"My power of attorney used to be my ex, so you have to think about that, because she'd be saying 'pull that plug!'" he said laughing.

Those in attendance ranged in age from 30 to 70, and had a variety of concerns.

Some were attending on behalf of a parent or sick relative, while others asked questions about what would happen if they moved back to their home province (Butcher said it's always best to have a lawyer where you're living verify your documents).

In response to what a personal directive should include, Chang said she has seen directives as short as a person's name and as long as five pages.

Some people like to list out what they want to happen in a particular circumstance, like if they would want to be kept on life support after a serious brain injury.

Others simply name someone close to them who knows what they would want.

The main question is if the treatment is appropriate, according to Dr. Amy Hendricks, an internist at Stanton Territorial Hospital.

She said a physician's bottom line is to follow a patient's wishes, whether it's laid out in a legal form or not. If a personal directive hasn't been made, they will asked the closest relative on what to do.

"We're not trying to dot every legal 'i' and cross every 't'," she said.

Chang said that anyone with a personal directive should send it to Stanton Territorial Hospital, where they will keep a copy of it at the top of your file.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.