Advance Directives and How They Work.

Posted on: July 22nd, 2021 by EOS Healthcare Marketing

An advance directive is a document that lets others know your preferences for health care should you ever be unable to make those decisions yourself. In the advance directive you can appoint someone you trust to make the decisions for you, too. That person is your health care agent.

Advance Directives Simplified

End-of-life preparation can be confusing and difficult to discuss with your loved ones. Here are some basics on how advance directives work.

• An advance directive needs to be in writing. Each state has its own form for creating an advance directive, and some states require the form to be signed by a witness. My Living Wishes can help you find the correct form and tell you what the requirements are.
• The advance directive can include specific information about your health care wishes, including
  • whether you want doctors to attempt to restart your heart if it stops on its own
  • if you would like to be placed on a mechanical ventilator if you cannot breathe on your own
  • how long you would like to be fed intravenously through a tube
  • how long you would like to receive dialysis treatments if your kidneys stop functioning
  • whether you want to treat infections with medication near the end of your life
  • how you would like to manage your pain
  • where you would like to go if you are to be placed in a nursing home
• The advance directive can also simply appoint a person to be your health care agent and make the necessary decisions for you.
• An advance directive goes into effect only when you are unable to make your own health care decisions, such as when you are terminally ill, seriously injured in an accident, in a comatose state, or in the last stages of dementia.
• When your advance directive is completed, you give a copy to your primary care physician, your loved ones, and whoever else needs to know about your decisions.
• You are allowed to change your mind and make a new advance directive, if you want to.

Experience Peace of Mind with Our Advance Directive Help

Creating an advance directive allows you to remain in control of your health care. It relieves your loved ones from making difficult decisions at the end of your life, and it reduces the chances of disagreements and confusion among your loved ones.

Start planning for the end of your life right now. My Living Wishes makes it easier for you.