Advance Directives
Advance directives are legal documents that allow you to document what medical treatments you do or don’t want in case you lose your ability to make or communicate your healthcare decisions. Advance directives also allow you to delegate a surrogate, or substitute, decision maker who will help make healthcare decisions for you if you are unable to make them yourself.
Creating an advance directive helps you and your loved ones. It can improve your overall quality of care as well as reduce burden on your loved ones. It’s never too early to communicate your wishes and create your advance directive.
Think about what you would or would not want if you were to become critically ill and not able to communicate. Some examples of treatments/services to consider would include hospital admission, feeding tube, breathing machine, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and hospice.
Talk to your doctor and family if you have questions. Communicate your wishes with your doctor and surrogate decision maker (and any other close family or friends you like). Document your advance directive.
Re-evaluate it whenever you have a change of health, and revise it at any time if needed.