Five Wishes, a program of the nonprofit Aging with Dignity, offers a simplified advance directive that helps people express their preferences.

Five Wishes, accepted in most U.S. states, will help you spell out what you want (and in plain English).

Several experts we spoke with recommended Five Wishes as a helpful resource.

"People used to think this conversation was only relevant in the emergency room or the lawyer's office," Malley said. "Today those end-of-life conversations are happening around dining room tables and in living rooms.

The nonprofit Aging with Dignity says it's overwhelmed with requests for its 'living will,' called Five Wishes, which is legal in most states. No lawyer is required.

A new version of a living will called "Five Wishes" is written in reader-friendly language, is aimed at prompting people to talk with their families and doctors about something most choose not to talk about: their own death.