PLAN YOUR LIFE TO THE END: Advance Directives

An advance directive is your life, on your terms.  Documenting your end-of-life wishes whether you are 18 or 80 will help family members honor your wishes and they will not have to make emotional heart-wrenching decisions if you become incapacitated.

Formal advance directives are documents written in advance of a serious illness that state your choices for health care, or name someone to make those decisions for you, should you lose your decision-making capacity. End-of –life care has become an issue of great concern mainly because of the advanced medical technology available to prolong life and because of the growing number of legal cases involving comatose patients whose families wish to withdraw treatment.

The way for you to retain control is to record preferences for medical care in advance and share them with your family, physician and clergyman.  Laws vary from state to state, but in most cases, a patient’s expressed wishes will be honored.

 

LIVING WILL: 

A living will is a document that stipulates the kind of life-prolonging medical care you desire should you become terminally ill, permanently unconscious, or in a vegetative state . Many states have their own living will forms, each with somewhat different requirements. Standard forms are available at book or stationery stores, online or you can make your own form or write a statement, but your state’s witnessing requirements must be adhered to.  South Carolina requires two witnesses. The living will must be signed by the maker, dated and witnessed by two individuals that you know well, but are not related.

 

A Durable Health Care Power of Attorney:

A durable health care power of attorney is another kind of advance directive: a signed, dated and witnessed document naming another individual to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to make them for yourself at any time, not just at end-of-life. You can specify desired treatment or treatment you care to avoid, such as artificial nutrition, surgery and hydrations.  Most states have specific laws concerning health care power of attorneys and provide suggested forms.  South Carolina provides the statutory form, code of laws section 62-5-504 and requires two witnesses. Living wills were developed first and health care powers of attorney were designed later to be more flexible and apply to more situations. Today, it is possible to have both and some states combine them into a single document.

Advance directives may be changed or revoked at any time. Any alterations or revocations should be signed and dated, and copies given to family members, physician, clergyman and attorney, if applicable.

If there is no advance directive by the patient, medical decisions are left up to the family members, physicians, hospital and ultimately a judge. Many times when advance directives are unavailable, the patient ends up spending months or years on life-support machines causing unnecessary emotional or financial distress on their loved ones. By documenting your wishes when you are competent, you can relieve your loved ones of many heartaches, headaches and unnecessary distress. 

Where can one obtain living-will and health-care –power-of-attorney forms?

Forms for all states can be obtained by writing or calling the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization, 1700 Diagonal Road, Suite 625, Alexandria, Va. 22314, 1-800-658-8898. Forms may also be obtained by visiting the National Hospice and Palliative Care Web site, www.caringinfo.org.