Advance Care Planning
What Are Advance Directives?
These legal documents include a living will or a durable power of attorney for healthcare, also known as a healthcare proxy. Either document allows you to give directions about your future medical care. They include your choice of a healthcare surrogate who makes decisions on your medical care if and when you are unable to do so. Advance Directives do not require a lawyer, are legal in most states and require only witness signatures.
Advance Directives can:
- protect your rights to make medical choices that can affect your life.
- let families avoid the responsibility and stress of making difficult decisions.
- assist physicians by providing guidelines for your care.
- protect people who may be unable to communicate for whatever reason.
- limit life-prolonging measures when there's little or no chance of recovery. They enable patients to make their feelings known about the following:
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)—used to restore stopped breathing and/or heartbeat. Patients may wish to have a "Do Not Resuscitate" (DNR) order which allows you to refuse attempts to restore heartbeat. Discuss this option with your physician.
- Intravenous (IV) therapy—used to provide food, water, and/or medication through a tube placed in a vein.
- Feeding tubes—inserted through the nose or throat to provide nutrition.
- Ventilators—respirators used to keep patients breathing.
- Dialysis—a method of cleaning blood when the kidneys no longer function properly.
Get Started Today
HMC can support you in creating your advance directives and provides free Living Wills. We partner with 5 Wishes for resources and education.
