What kind of health care do you want as you journey through the final phases of life? When would you want the goals of your care to shift from trying to keep you alive, (aggressive curative), to keeping you comfortable and out of pain, (providing comfort and symptom management only) and allowing natural death to occur?
Whatever your personal preferences may be, they should be codified in writing and discussed with your family so that they can be relieved of the burden of trying to imagine what your wishes for care and treatment are. Advance Care Directives are the documents, including the Living Will and Health Care Power of Attorney that allow an individual, “in advance,” to directly convey his or her wishes about health care treatment, or to choose someone to convey those wishes to medical personnel if the individual is unable to speak for himself or herself .
Specifically the Living Will is a document that contains your written wishes for care at the end of life. Through it, you can state your preferences regarding aggressive, life-prolonging treatment.
Sometimes, individuals are asked to make health care decisions for loved ones who are unable to communicate their wishes. This is where the Healthcare Power of Attorney comes into play. The Healthcare Power of Attorney is a legal document that authorizes another person to make health care decisions for you if you are unable to make informed health care decisions yourself. In other words, they are your health care agent. For this reason, you should tell the person you name how you feel about life-sustaining treatment, being fed through feeding and fluid tubes, and other important issues. No matter who you choose, make your wishes clear and be comfortable that he or she agrees to honor your decisions.
Each state has its own laws regarding advance directives. Although the forms for your state can be downloaded by going to your state’s State Attorney General Website, we recommend consulting with an attorney. Once you’ve filled out the forms, give copies to your doctor, the person you’ve chosen as your health care agent and your family members. Keep another copy in a safe but accessible place. Do not put it in a safe deposit box or vault.
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