We have mentioned many times our Life Choices publication, which walks you through the critical end-of-life decisions you need to make now while you're healthy. These include funeral plans, advance directives, durable power of attorney, wills and organ donation, just to name a few.

And this is not just for senior citizens - it's for anyone over 18. Any of us could be injured and unable to speak at any time - so it would be helpful for our healthcare providers and loved ones to know what our wishes are.

This Friday in Jefferson City is the annual End-of-Life Summit, put on by the Missouri End-of-Life coalition, AG Nixon and others. These folks are dedicated to encouraging Missourians make those critical decisions mentioned above. They also examine the quality of end-of-life care in our state and do what they can to improve it. That includes things like long-term care, hospice and other services that are provided to people in their final days, weeks and months.