Advance Directives are legal documents that allow you to convey your decisions about end of life care. They provide a way for you to communicate your wishes to family, friends and health care professionals in order to avoid confusion and protect your choices of the type of care you do or don’t want. It is critical to base these choices on informed, thoughtful reflection as well as your values and wishes. These choices should be shared with your decision-makers and physician in order to minimize confusion and help ensure that the wishes will be fulfilled.

An Advance Directive usually contains two elements

a. A living will that allows you to document your wishes concerning medical treatments at the end of life.

 

b. A medical power of attorney (or healthcare proxy) allows you to appoint a person you trust as your healthcare agent (or surrogate decision maker), who is authorized to make medical decisions on your behalf.

Before a medical power of attorney goes into effect a person’s physician must conclude that he or she is unable to make his/her own medical decisions.

Advance directives are legally valid throughout the United States. While you do not need a lawyer to fill out an advance directive, your advance directive becomes legally valid as soon as you sign it in front of the required witnesses. The laws governing advance directives vary from state to state, so it is important to complete and sign advance directives that comply with your state's law. Advance directives do not expire. An advance directive remains in effect until you change it. If you complete a new advance directive, it invalidates the previous one.

You should review your advance directive periodically to ensure that it still reflects your wishes. If you want to change anything in an advance directive once you have completed it, you should complete a whole new document.

Talk with your family, your friends and your doctor. Know the options. Decide what's right for you. And then put it in writing.

Sources of Advance Directives

Caring Connections

Aging with Dignity