2009

January
A major study published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine demonstrates that Five Wishes helps reduce anxiety among adolescents and young adult users who themselves have a serious life-limiting illness, such as cancer or AIDS. The study, “How I Wish to be Remembered: The Use of an Advance Care Planning Document in Adolescent and Young Adult Populations,” was conducted by the Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health.

February
Aging with Dignity President Paul Malley argues that the rights of a designated health care agent should certainly include access to the patient’s hospital bedside. “Many people choose someone other than a spouse or relative and that person should have access regardless of visitation policies.”

March
In a Baltimore Sun guest editorial, “Wrong Solution,” Paul Malley comments on the arrest of Final Exit Network members and urges lawmakers considering health care reform to “create a system that supports dignity, manages pain, provides access to quality palliative care, and unequivocally recognizes that each person in our society deserves something better than a lethal prescription. Suicide is always a symptom of a problem; it should never be the solution to one.”

Aging with Dignity exhibits Five Wishes at the Spiritual Care Summit in Orlando. Paul Malley and Long Beach Memorial Hospital Director of Pastoral Care Rev. Karyn Reddick co-present at a workshop titled “Heart & Soul: Healthcare Decisions in Diverse Communities,” at the American Society of Aging/National Council on Aging convention in Las Vegas.

U.S. Department of Energy employees learn about Five Wishes during presentations made by Paul Malley at several of its Washington, D.C. area offices.

April 2009
In a Cleveland Plain Dealer guest commentary, Paul Malley notes Ohio has the worst advance directive laws in the nation. “Ohio makes it especially difficult because it mandates a verbatim 1,700-word Miranda-like warning, the longest such notice in the nation. The notice soberly details the legal authority, rights and obligations arising from a power of attorney for health care, and it even dictates what the notice must look like.”

Five Wishes partner organizations across the country celebrate National Healthcare Decisions Day on April 16th by stepping up their community outreach efforts using Five Wishes. College and university gerontology and social work programs

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle issues a gubernatorial commendation, praising Aging with Dignity and Five Wishes. Aurora Health Care, the state’s largest health care provider, announces it will use Five Wishes in all its facilities.

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2008

January 17
The Tallahassee Democrat and Gainesville Sun newspapers publish guest editorials by Paul Malley commenting on the recent lecture delivered at UF by Jack Kevorkian. “An Antidote to Assisted Suicide is Aging With Dignity” and “UF Gave A Soapbox to a Convicted Murderer” were the respective titles.

January 20-22
More than 600 people hear nationally renowned physician and author Dr. Ira Byock discuss end of life care during a three-day conference cosponsored by Aging with Dignity, Florida State University, Tallahassee Community College and Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Dr. Byock assisted in the initial development of Five Wishes.

August
“Sharing the Gift,” a guide to making effective Five Wishes community presentations, is completed and released. The presenter’s guide includes a history of Aging with Dignity, a list of support resources and wish-by-wish instructions for completing Five Wishes. National distribution of Five Wishes reaches the 12-million mark.

October 22
On the tenth anniversary of the national release of Five Wishes, Aging with Dignity begins “Five Minutes with Five Wishes,” a free periodic e-newsletter designed to keep the some 15,000 partner organizations and others updated on Five Wishes activities across the country.

November 18
At the Baltimore County Conference on Aging Annual Conference, former Maryland Attorney General Joseph Curran announces statewide distribution of Five Wishes to all Maryland residents through the state’s Department of Aging. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley calls on all Marylanders to hold family discussions on advance care planning.

December
Five Wishes is translated into the Philippine languages Tagalog and Ilocano, bringing to 23 the number of languages in which Five Wishes is available. The popular Next Steps guide is translated into Spanish. Siguientes Pasos will help Spanish-speaking families better discuss and plan for care in times of serious illness.

December 9
Aging with Dignity hosts “Five Wishes Colorado” in Denver featuring Aging with Dignity founder Jim Towey and invites all Five Wishes partner organizations. Paul Malley notes there are a million Five Wishes in circulation in Colorado, distributed by some one thousand partner organizations. Plans are made to convene a statewide symposium on advance care planning in 2009.

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2007

March 3-7
Attendees at a disaster preparedness panel held during the American Society on Aging/National Council on Aging conference in Chicago, Illinois hear Paul Malley describe Hope Today relief and recovery efforts conducted for clients affected by Hurricane Dennis. The updated Five Wishes instructional DVD is previewed during the Authors and Producers portion of the Aging 2007 Annual Reception. National distribution of Five Wishes reaches eight million.

April 10
Jacksonville, Florida Mayor John Peyton officially signs his Five Wishes during a ceremony hosted by Five Wishes partner organization Community Hospice of Northeast Florida. Mayor Peyton urges the families of Jacksonville to discuss and plan in advance for times of serious illness.

April 18-20
Aging with Dignity and Five Wishes exhibit at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization annual conference in Washington, D.C., giving Aging with Dignity the opportunity to meet some of its largest hospice partner organizations. Paul Malley meets with officials from the National Institutes of Health and the American Hospital Association and attends a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services press conference with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and U.S. Administration on Aging Secretary Josefina Carbonell.

June 6
Paul Malley returns to Washington, D.C. to give a Five Wishes presentation at the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations. The next day, Aging with Dignity, the U.S. Administration on Aging, the American Hospital Association and the United Health Foundation make a joint announcement at the National Press Club that Five Wishes will be translated into 20 new languages. United Health Foundation Director Reed Tuckson, Sec. Carbonell and Paul Malley announce the 500,000 Wishes Campaign.

June 21
Paul Malley and Ruth Sullivan of Maryland’s Shore Health System discuss Five Wishes on Mike Cuthbert’s national radio show, AARP Primetime Radio.

August 15
Aging with Dignity introduces the Spanish language version of the Five Wishes (Cinco Deseos) instructional DVD. An updated English language version was released earlier in the year.

August 23
Hope Today Coordinator Andy Buchleitner receives the Above and Beyond Award for Direct Service presented by the United Partners for Human Services. UPHS is a group of approximately 100 North Florida human service organizations.

October 5-7
On the tenth anniversary of her death, Aging with Dignity founder Jim Towey hosts the Remembrances of Mother Teresa of Calcutta Conference at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. The conference attracts attendees from all over the world for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about the woman and the work that inspired Aging with Dignity. Aging with Dignity board members and staff also attend.

November
More than ten million copies of Five Wishes are now in national circulation.

December 14
Paul Malley is appointed to the Veterans Administration Chief Operating Officer’s Panel of Experts in Advance Care Planning. The 18-member panel is comprised of medical, ethics and legal experts.

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2006

April 7
Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmonson issues an opinion that Five Wishes meets the legal requirements in the state of Oklahoma, thus making it the 38th Five Wishes state. National distribution of Five Wishes surpasses the seven-million mark.

May 25
Aging with Dignity introduces My Wishes, a conversation tool for seriously ill children, their families and health care providers, at the National Child Life Conference in Dallas, Texas.

October 18
Florida Gov. Jeb and Columba Bush, Justice and Mrs. Major Harding and Rhea Chiles are among many distinguished guests who attend a gala celebrating the tenth anniversary of Aging with Dignity. President Paul Malley announces the translation of Five Wishes into 20 languages through a project supported by the United Health Foundation. The goal is to reach ethnic minority groups and transcend linguistic and cultural barriers.

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2005

March – June
Five Wishes is featured in nearly every major national news outlet, including CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Time Magazine, and many others, in response to heightened public interest in end-of-life issues stimulated by the Terri Schiavo case. Throughout the spring, Aging with Dignity fields an unprecedented number of requests for Five Wishes, receiving more than 6,000 requests per day. Over two million Five Wishes are distributed in 2005 alone, bringing total national distribution to more than six million.

April 28
Paul Malley joins the Florida secretaries of Elder Affairs, Veterans Affairs and the Department of Management Services on the steps of the Florida Capitol to discuss advance care planning options in Florida.

May
Aging with Dignity launches the Hope Today pilot program, assisting seniors and the disabled in need by offering the emotional, material and spiritual support necessary for them to live with a continued sense of dignity and self-worth.

May 12
Paul Malley is appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to represent the state of Florida at the White House Conference on Aging, an event held every ten years to help shape public policy on aging-related issues.

June 6
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford signs Five Wishes legislation, thus making South Carolina the 37th Five Wishes state.

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2004

June 25
Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski signs the “Five Wishes bill,” making Five Wishes a valid advance directive for residents of the state, thus making Alaska the 36th Five Wishes state. Paul Malley offers expert testimony to the Alaska State Legislature prior to the bill’s passage.

November 20
Paul Malley is interviewed by anchor Campbell Brown as the NBC Today Show features Aging with Dignity and Five Wishes for the third time. Distribution of Five Wishes exceeds four million.

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2003

January 10
The Alliance of Work Life Professionals announces Aging with Dignity as one of three recipients of the 8th Annual Innovative Excellence Award.

October 22
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson joins Paul Malley and Jim Towey to mark the five year anniversary of Five Wishes as a national advance directive. Five Wishes distribution surpasses the three-million mark.

May
Aging with Dignity introduces the “Five Wishes at Work” employer packet to help companies distribute Five Wishes to employees and their families. The packet includes an implementation guide and sample promotional messages to enable easy distribution. It is used by employers such as Federal Investors, Fannie Mae, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Justice, Delta Airlines and 3M.

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2002

February
President George W. Bush appoints Aging with Dignity founder, Jim Towey, as the Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

March 4
Paul Malley is selected by the Aging with Dignity Board of Directors to succeed Jim Towey as the second president of Aging with Dignity. National distribution of Five Wishes exceeds two million.

October 18
Aging with Dignity releases the “Elder Issues Report Card” for Florida gubernatorial candidates in order to focus attention on the needs of seniors and the disabled and to assess the candidates’ plans to serve this population.

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2001

April
Aging with Dignity introduces the Next Steps guide, a step-by-step guide on discussing and coping with serious illness.

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2000

January 9
The Five Wishes video is introduced. Over the next six years more than 13,000 copies are requested by families and organizations as a resource to begin the important advance care planning conversation.

June 6
U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum and Florida Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson discuss issues concerning elders and their caregivers at an Aging with Dignity U.S. Senate Candidates Forum.

July 1
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awards a grant for the “Five Wishes at Work” program, which helps employees plan ahead of serious illness, both for themselves and their aging family members. This takes discussion of end-of-life care from the bedside to the office and increases the likelihood that more people will have these conversations before a health crisis. Within six years, more than 600 businesses supply Five Wishes as a benefit to their employees.

December 8
A new edition of Five Wishes is introduced. California and West Virginia become the 34th and 35th Five Wishes states, thanks to simplified advance directive laws in those states. National distribution of Five Wishes surpasses one million.

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1999

December 7
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Mrs. Columba Bush, Mrs. Rhea Chiles, Florida Chief Justice Major Harding, members of the Florida Cabinet, Senate, and House of Representatives, as well as leaders from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths participate in the Summit of Faith, the centerpiece of Awakening 2000.

December 7
Gov. Jeb Bush announces he will provide Five Wishes to all state employees and encourages others to do the same, thereby sparking interest in Five Wishes as an employee benefit for both large and small employers.

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1998

January 1
The Health Foundation of South Florida awards a three-year grant to Aging with Dignity for an education project to promote the effective use of advance directives in Dade (Miami) and Broward (Fort Lauderdale) counties. Cinco Deseos is introduced and hundreds of workshops target Spanish-speaking residents.

May 8
Aging with Dignity hosts a standing-room-only Florida Gubernatorial Forum. Candidates Jeb Bush, Lt. Gov. Buddy McKay, Florida Sen. Rick Dantzler, and Florida Rep. Keith Arnold participate in a debate on aging policy and end-of-life care.

October 22
The national version of Five Wishes, supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is introduced at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., with Eunice Kennedy Shriver joining Jim Towey. Five Wishes is featured within 24 hours by CNN, National Public Radio, and USA Today, among others. Matt Lauer interviews Jim Towey on the NBC Today Show.

December 7
Gov. Lawton Chiles joins Governor-elect Jeb Bush and members of Florida’s Cabinet to launch Awakening 2000. This year-long effort seeks to mobilize spiritual and government leaders in preparation for the new millennium and focus on the needs of elders and the disabled.

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1997

March 6
Aging with Dignity President Jim Towey testifies before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging regarding the needs of citizens who raise children while caring for parents.

July 24
Aging with Dignity, along with Gov. and Mrs. Chiles and Florida Supreme Court Justice and Mrs. Major Harding introduce Five Wishes. Aging with Dignity receives more than 10,000 requests for the document within three weeks. Subsequent national news coverage triggers demand for Five Wishes across the country.

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1996

June 1
Aging with Dignity is founded with initial support from The Claude Pepper Foundation, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

September 12
Florida Governor Lawton Chiles convenes the first Aging with Dignity forum that looks at aging in America and includes a presentation by Peter G. Peterson, chairman of the prestigious Blackstone Group, and author of Gray Dawn. Aging with Dignity contributing supporters include Extendicare, Beverly Health, and Unysis.

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