Advanced Directives are instructions, provided in advance, which reflect your wishes regarding health care and medical treatment when you are seriously ill and are unable to communicate these decisions for yourself. Advanced Directives should be prepared while you are able to discuss your wishes and your decisions with your Doctors and those who are closest to you.

Advanced Directives are composed of:

Living Will – a document which allows you to communicate the kind of medical treatment you want or do not want when you are unable to speak for yourself.

Health Care Surrogate – a document which allows you to designate the person you want to make health care decisions for you when you are unable to do so.

Frequently Asked Questions About Living Wills and Health Care Surrogates:

When should I fill out an Advanced Directive?

Anyone 18 years of age or older, married or single, may fill out Advanced Directives. This must be done when you are able to participate in the decision making process of completing Advanced Directive documents. A Living Will only goes into effect when you are terminally ill, face a life limiting illness and are unable to speak on your behalf.

What are some of the levels of care outlined in a Living Will?

Here are some of the most frequent scenarios that may relate to a Living Will:

1.- A person is close to death and likely to die within a short period of time and a decision must be made whether or not to provide life support treatment.

2.- A person is in coma or has permanent severe brain damage and is not expected to wake up or recover and a decision must be made whether or not to provide life support treatment.

3.- Another condition under which a person might not wish to be kept alive, i.e., end-stage condition of an illness – when a person is unable to care for himself/herself or unable to make decisions.

What is the definition of Life Support Treatment?

Life support treatment means any medical procedure, device or medication to keep a person alive. Some of the life support treatments include: medical devices to help the patient breathe when the body is unable to breath on its own; food and water supplied by a medical device (tube feeding/artificial nutrition and hydration); cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); blood transfusions; dialysis.

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is care that focuses on the patient’s comfort and quality of life, when curing the disease is not a realistic possibility. Palliative care also includes pain management.

How do I select my Health Care Surrogate?

When selecting a Health Care Surrogate (other terms may be used such as health care agent, durable power of attorney for health care), you should choose someone who knows you very well, cares about you and who can make difficult decisions for you. Someone who is able to stand up for you so that your wishes are carried out and is nearby so that they can help make health care decisions when you are unable to do so.