Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Yesterday, December 7, 1941 a date which will live in infamy. Male Speaker: When the United States entered World War II, young Mac Showers shipped out to Hawaii. He was assigned to the Navy's Combat Intelligence Unit at Pearl Harbor. Mac Showers: But it turned out to be the unit where Japanese code was being intercepted and worked on and broken and then eventually being read. Male Speaker: But it was only after WWII ended that the best part of Mac's personal life began. Mac Showers: I was married after the war in 1948 to a young lady that I met in Washington. I met her through a blind-date was her roommate of hers. Male Speaker: Eventually Mac's wife Billie was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and that changed both of their lives completely. Mac Showers: It was a challenge. I retired in order to do it and I did it fulltime as long as I had her at home. Male Speaker: As the disease progressed, Admiral Showers realized that the time had come to prepare for the inevitable, by drawing up end of life documents called "Advance Directives" Mac Showers: I knew she would become incapacitated and that I would have to make decisions for her. So it was mandatory that I learnt what she wanted so I could be able to comply with those decisions. Male Speaker: A living will and a durable Power of Attorney for healthcare are the two most commonly used medical Advance Directives. A living will stipulates the kind of medical care an individual wants if he or she is terminally ill, permanently unconscious or in a vegetative state and unable to make decisions. Kathy Brandt: A living will is where you very specifically write down what you would or would not want in terms of treatment. For example, would you want artificial nutrition andhydration? Would you want to be kept alive on a ventilator? Male Speaker: While a living will puts your desires in writing it is not legally binding. But a durable Power of Attorney for healthcare also known as a Medical Power of Attorney is an official legal document. It is signed, dated, witnessed and names another person who will make medical decisions for you if you're unable to make them yourself at any time. Problems can arise when a health crisis occurs and individuals do not have Advance Directives. Kathy Brandt: The challenge is that if someone is in an accident or if someone does have a life-threatening life-limiting illness and they haven't thought about these issues and written it down or planned for it, then their wishes may not be known and may be ignored or may be fought over by family members. Male Speaker: Kathy strongly suggests that people should update their advance directives on a regular basis. Kathy Brandt: Fill them out, make copies, give them to lots of people and then periodically update them, when you're married, when you're divorced, when you retire, when you start a new job, if you move to a new state because it may not be valid if you don't do that. Male Speaker: After living with Alzheimer's Disease for 20 years, Billie Showers passed away several years ago. Today, 87-year old Mac devotes his energy to staying active. He does volunteer work for Virginia Hospital Center and the Alzheimer's Association, he also frequently speaks to groups of World War II history buffs. Mac Showers: I'm as busy as when I was working and I love it.