Talking about end-of-life care with a loved one can be difficult. Planning one’s treatment and care for the future can be accompanied by strong emotions and powerful feelings.
Establishing A Directive
Advanced care planning can help you legally define your end-of-life preferences, avoid emergencies, and make decision-making easier for everyone involved.
DNR Orders
When it comes to DNR orders, there is no right or wrong solution. Patients have the right to determine their own end-of-life plan. Our team is ready to assist our patients and their families in clarifying patient care goals so that the patient’s wishes are met accordingly.
Having advance directives in place relieves everyone involved of the burden of making this and other critical end-of-life decisions.
Advanced Directives
An advanced directive is a legal document that communicates one’s wishes for end-of-life care to healthcare providers to be used when one is critically ill and unable to speak for themselves. Every state recognizes advance directives as legal documents, albeit each has its own set of guidelines for their usage. A Living Will and Power of Attorney are included in an advance directive.
Living Will
Living wills can be used to express one’s treatment preferences when one is no longer able to express these preferences themselves. A living will, however, lacks the flexibility of a proxy who can make choices on your behalf without a medical power of attorney in place.
Power of Attorney
If you are unable to speak for yourself due to illness, accident, or debilitation, a durable power of attorney for healthcare choices permits you to choose a proxy representative who will speak for your beliefs and wishes. You should designate a trusted family member or close friend who understands your preferences and values and is cognitively and emotionally competent of making healthcare decisions on your behalf.