Advanced Directives Care Options
- Brandon Larsen
- Oct 27, 2024
- 5 min read
An advanced directive is a legal document that outlines your healthcare wishes if you become unable to communicate them yourself. It empowers you to make important decisions about your medical treatment in advance and ensures your preferences are respected.
Here's a guide to creating your advanced directive:
Understand the Components:
Living Will: This document specifies the types of medical treatments you do or do not want if you are in a terminal condition or permanently unconscious state. It can address life-sustaining measures like ventilators, feeding tubes,and resuscitation.
Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare (Healthcare Proxy): This appoints a trusted person (your healthcare agent) to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated. This person should be someone who understands your values and will advocate for your wishes.
Reflect on Your Values and Preferences:
Think About Your Priorities: Consider what quality of life means to you. Would you prefer to prioritize comfort or prolonging life at all costs?
Discuss with Loved Ones: Talk openly with your family and close friends about your values and wishes regarding medical care. This will help them understand your perspective and make decisions that align with your preferences.
Consult with Healthcare Professionals: Discuss your options with your doctor or other healthcare providers. They can explain different treatments and their potential outcomes.
Complete the Forms:
Obtain the Necessary Forms: You can find advance directive forms online, through your state's health department,or through organizations like AARP or the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
Fill Out the Forms Thoroughly: Be as specific as possible about your treatment preferences. If there are certain procedures or medications you absolutely do or do not want, state them clearly.
Consider Additional Instructions: You may want to include specific instructions about organ and tissue donation,pain management, or spiritual care.
Legalize Your Documents:
Sign and Date: Make sure you sign and date your advance directive in the presence of witnesses as required by your state law.
Notarization: Some states may require notarization. Check the specific requirements in your state.
Share Your Advance Directive:
Give Copies to Your Healthcare Agent and Family: Ensure your designated healthcare agent has a copy of your advance directive. Share it with family members and close friends so they are aware of your wishes.
Inform Your Doctor: Provide a copy to your primary care physician and any specialists you see regularly. They can add it to your medical records.
Keep a Copy Accessible: Keep a copy in a safe place where it can be easily located if needed.
Review and Update Regularly:
Your healthcare preferences may change over time, so review your advance directive periodically, especially after major life events or changes in health.
Update as Needed: If your wishes or your designated healthcare agent changes, revise your advance directive accordingly.
Creating an advance directive may seem daunting, but it's a crucial step in ensuring your healthcare wishes are honored. By taking the time to plan ahead, you can have peace of mind knowing your preferences will be respected, even if you are unable to communicate them yourself.
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Meet Carl:
Carl, a man in his early 50s, had always been a planner. He meticulously organized his finances, made detailed travel itineraries, and even had a spreadsheet for his weekly grocery shopping. But one crucial aspect of his life remained uncharted: his healthcare wishes.
A recent conversation with his elderly neighbor, who had been hospitalized for a serious illness and was unable to communicate his preferences for care, prompted Carl to take action. He realized the importance of having an advanced directive in place, a document that would outline his wishes regarding medical treatment should he ever become incapacitated.
Carl began by researching the components of an advanced directive. He learned that it typically consists of two main parts: a living will, which outlines the types of medical treatments he would or would not want if he were in a terminal condition or permanently unconscious, and a healthcare proxy, which designates a trusted person to make medical decisions on his behalf if he were unable to do so himself.
Reflecting on his values and preferences, Carl realized that he prioritized quality of life over the mere extension of life at all costs. He discussed his thoughts with his wife, Susan, and his adult children, explaining his desire for comfort care and pain management if he were to become terminally ill. He also expressed his wishes regarding life-sustaining measures like ventilators and feeding tubes, emphasizing his preference for a natural and dignified end-of-life experience.
To ensure his family understood his perspective, Carl also sought guidance from his primary care physician. The doctor explained various medical treatments and their potential outcomes, helping Carl clarify his preferences and make informed decisions.
With a clearer understanding of his options, Carl obtained the necessary advance directive forms from his state's health department website. He carefully filled them out, detailing his wishes regarding life-sustaining measures, pain management, and organ donation. He also appointed Susan as his healthcare proxy, confident that she would advocate for his wishes and make decisions that aligned with his values.
Once the forms were complete, Carl signed and dated them in the presence of two witnesses, as required by his state law.He then made copies of the documents, giving one to Susan, another to his children, and keeping one for himself in a safe and easily accessible location. He also informed his doctor about his advance directive, ensuring that it would be included in his medical records.
Creating an advance directive was a significant step for Carl. It provided him with peace of mind, knowing that his wishes regarding medical treatment would be respected, even if he were unable to communicate them himself. He also felt a sense of relief, knowing that he had taken an active role in planning for his future and ensuring that his loved ones wouldn't be burdened with making difficult decisions on his behalf.
Carl's experience highlighted the importance of advance care planning and the value of open communication with loved ones and healthcare providers. By taking the initiative to create an advance directive, he was able to ensure that his values and preferences would guide his healthcare decisions, regardless of the circumstances.
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