For most young people, planning for death is about the last thing on their minds.

But according to Jan Jahner,pain and palliative care coordinator at St. Peter's Hospital, every adult -- regardless of age or health -- should have an advance directive detailing what kind of care they want to receive if they have a terminal illness or injury and are unable to make decisions for themselves.

St. Peter's will give all members of the public an opportunity to do jus t that when it marks Advance Directives Day, on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Main Lobby off of Winne Street. People can pick up a free Five Wishes booklet and educational information about Comfort One and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Jan Jahner, coordinator of St. Peter's Transitions and Life Choices/Palliative Care Program, and the Rev. Jim Shelden, hospital chaplain, will be available to answer questions and facilitate the completion of an advance directive.

According to Jahner, only about 25 percent of adults have advance directives, which she said is "appalling."

"It's a real gift if a family member puts something on paper as to who is a decision maker," Jahner said. "Eighteen is a good age to at least document who can make decisions for you if you can't."

Jahner said the most important thing an advance directive should do is clearly designate who should make decisions about care, with defining quality of life another important aspect.

Directives can be as specific or as general as a person would like them to be . Some people get very specific, such as no dialysis, no major surgeries or no invasive heart surgeries, Jahner said, while others generally indicate that if two physicians have said their condition is terminal, they wouldn't want extraordinary care.

She said it is also important that the directive not be locked in a vault, but be accessible to families and the hospital.

Jahner said people in Montana are lucky to have access to the Montana End-of-Life Registry, which is available on the state of Montana Web page. That regisitry gives every hospital in the country immediate access to your wishes for care.

Jahner noted that while it can be hard for young people to think about end-of-life issues, some of the highest-profile cases about decisions to refuse care -- including the Terry Schiavo case in Florida in 2005 -- were a result injuries that happened to people in their 2os.

"It's hard for anyone to imagine the situations profound illness can put them into," Jahner said.

For more information call Jahner at 447-2533 or send a message to: jjahner @stpetes.org.

Features editor Joe Menden: 447-4087 or joe.menden@helenair.com