When Anita Mingo, a social worker, was getting ready to send her daughter off to college, a friend who’s a nurse said something she had never thought about before: “You need to have an advance care plan in place for your daughter.”

Anita’s first reaction was, “She’s only 18!” But her friend explained: once your child becomes a legal adult, doctors aren’t required to involve parents in their care.

“And that scared me,” Anita said.

She looked up the law in D.C., found the right form, and sat down to talk with her daughter who was on the same page. “She told me, ‘Absolutely, Mom. I would want you to know what I want, and I would want you to help me make those decisions.’”

Now, with a signed advance care plan, they both feel more secure. “ It was one of the biggest gifts that someone gave me because there’s no way that I would’ve ever thought of that. It wasn’t a part of my thought process for my newly adult child and now I have this paper,” Anita said. “If something happens, I can come right down there and help [her] no problem.”

That one conversation changed Anita’s perspective. It made her realize how important it is to plan ahead—no matter your age. “I want to look more into Compassion & Choices,” she said. “I bet they have resources by state that I can share with my clients. That’s what we’re supposed to do—make sure people know they have options.”

Watch Anita tell her story in her own words at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJvkd7Ifb-8

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