11.8 Chapter Assignment

Advanced Directive & Planning for Illness & Death Assignment

This chapter focused on the importance of advanced planning for illness and death. You have 2 options for this chapter’s assignment. Option 1 involves: (A) completing your Power of Attorney for Personal Care and Advance Care Directive via a downloadable and fillable PDF document; AND (B) writing a short reflection piece. Option 2 involves writing a reflection paper. Regardless of which option is chosen for the assignment, it is important to complete all chapter materials (chapter content, including all embedded links to readings and videos, and the required course materials) prior to starting the assignment. Both options require the citing of relevant course material (from current and previous chapters) throughout your assignment to support your points, credit sources of concepts/ideas, and demonstrate completion of assigned course materials.

Options for Chapter #11 Assignment

Option 1

After downloading the Advance Care Directive for Ontario document containing the necessary forms (see A below), this assignment option requires you to do four things: (1) complete your Advanced Care Directive/Advanced Care Plan (ACP), including signature; (2) appoint your Substitute Decision-Maker(s) (SDM) via the creation of a Power of Attorney for Personal Care (APC) (including signatures); (3) write a 500-600 word reflection piece based on your experience of completing the document; and (4) submit 2 properly labelled PDF documents: your completed and signed Advanced Care Directive document (which includes the appointment of your SDM/APC) AND your reflection piece.

Students may choose to submit 2 properly labelled PDF versions of their completed ACP, one of which is marked up with notes and citations. Anyone choosing this option will be submitting 3 PDF documents: Completed and signed ACP and APC; completed ACP and APC marked up with notes and citations; and a reflection piece (as per 3 above).

Steps to Completing Option 1 Assignment

1. Click on the following link to download a PDF of the Advance Care Directive for Ontario to your computer Power of Attorney for Personal Care and Advance Care Directive.
2. Read the downloaded document in its entirety so you understand what it is you are completing. It is also extremely important to read the document “Advance care planning kit” assigned earlier in this chapter.
3. Fill out Section C of the document appointing your Power of Attorney for Personal Care (APC).
4. Fill out Section D of the document detailing your Advance Care Directives (ACP). It is important to carefully read and following the directions in the document. For this assignment, students choosing Option #1 are required to complete sections B, C, D and E and to read the remaining sections of the document, paying particular attention to sections A and H. As noted above, it is also essential to complete the “Advance care planning kit” reading assigned earlier in the chapter. Be sure to take some time to carefully reflect on your options in section D prior to making your choices or detailing additional directives for D6 and D7.
5. Initial, sign, print your name and date where indicated in the document. For this assignment Option, you are required to actually initial and sign your Advanced Care Directive and appointment of ACP(s). To add your initials and signature you can either print and initial/sign or initial/sign with your finger or digital pencil on an iPad or similar device. A digital signature can also be created through one of the many free digital signature sites on the web, which you can then add to the signature lines of the document.
6. When signing and dating the documents, be sure to have your signature properly witnessed. As per Section E, you are required to sign and date the document where indicated in the presence of 2 witnesses. Be sure to read Section A8 for information on who can legally act as a witness.
7. Have your 2 witnesses sign, date and print their names on the form (they too must put their actual signature on the document, following the same directions provided in E above).
8. Save the entire PDF document (beginning with the Death with Dignity Logo and Advanced Care Directive/Wishes instructions through to the end of Section H) in PDF format to your computer.
9. Write a 500-600 word short essay in which you reflect on your experience of completing the Advanced Care Directive document. (i.e., choosing the options you did in the document, choosing the person to act as your APC, etc.). Be sure to incorporate and properly source relevant course material into your reflection piece and include an APA style reference section. In-text citations to support your points/arguments/choices are essential and required. Be sure to use a diverse range of materials from this eBook (not just this chapter) as opposed to relying heavily on one, or a few sources.
10. See Option 2 below for Formatting & Style requirements for the written reflection piece part of the assignment.
11. Give all submitted documents (the Advanced Care Directive form[s] and the short reflection piece) a name that clearly indicates whose documents they are and what the document is that is being submitted.
12. Submit BOTH properly labelled PDF documents: (1) the Advanced Directive document (beginning with the Death with Dignity Logo through to the end of Section H); and (2) your short reflection essay. Students may also choose to submit a third document — a completed Advanced Care Directive document marked up with notes and citations. This too must be properly labelled.

The following must be submitted as part of Option 1 assignments

1. A proper APA style cover page.
2. A properly sourced, essay style written reflection paper based on your experience of completing the document as per i above.
3. A proper APA reference section that contains all the material cited in the assignment submission.
4. Proper APA style appendices containing your Power of Attorney for Personal Care and Advance Care Directive form[s]. Appendices can either be appended to the end of the reflection piece or submitted as properly labelled separate PDF documents (each of which must have a proper APA style appendix cover page).

Option 2

Write a reflection paper that details/explains/explores: what you learned from or got out of this course; how this course impacted you; if and how what you learned and/or your experiences taking the course altered your views of how you approach death, dying, grief, etc.; why you chose not to complete Option 1 for this assignment, and what steps it will take for you to get to a place where you can and will complete those documents (something that is highly recommended).

Assignment Formatting & Style for Written Report

• Assignments formatting requirements: Arial 12-point font; 1 inch/2.54 centimeter margins; single spaced; APA in-text citation style, reference section and cover page.
• Use proper essay/paragraph style.
• Use APA in-text citation style to support points, credit sources of concepts/ideas, and demonstrate completion of assigned course materials.
• Paraphrase as opposed to relying on direct quotes.
• Proofread your submission to make sure it is clear, well written and intelligible.

Steps to Completing Option 2 Assignment

1. Click on the following link to download a PDF of the Advance Care Directive for Ontario to your computer Power of Attorney for Personal Care and Advance Care Directive.
2. Read the document in its entirety.
3. Write a properly sourced 1000-word reflection paper (give or take 100 words) that addresses what is outlined in the text under Option 2 above.
4. Support your points/arguments with APA in-text citations that reference course materials. In-text citations to support your points/arguments are essential and required. Be sure to use a diverse range of materials from this eBook (not just this chapter) as opposed to relying heavily on one, or a few sources.

The following must be submitted as part of Option 2 assignments

1. A proper APA style cover page.
2. A properly sourced, essay style written reflection paper, as per text under Option 2 above.
3. A proper APA reference section that contains any/all the material cited in the reflection paper.