Death is one of the hardest things to talk about, but our guest today encourages us to get real about the end. Bud Hammes joins us on today's episode to discuss his work with advanced care planning - the idea that as we get older, we should have discussions with our doctors and our loved ones on how we want to end our lives. Having such systems in place not only gives us control over our deaths but it also clarifies our final wishes for our family and friends.
Bud is one of the foremost thought leaders on advanced care planning. In his hometown of La Crosse, Wisconsin alone, some 96 percent of people who die there have some sort of advance directive. On the episode, Adam and Bud discuss what constitutes a 'good death', the potential misuses of these planning processes, and its success in La Crosse and cities across the country.