Advance Health Care Directive
An advance health care directive is a legal document that lets you state your medical treatment preferences and name a trusted person to make decisions if you cannot speak for yourself.
Main Types of Documents
Living Will: States the specific medical treatments, life support, or comfort care you want or do not want in terminal or end-of-life situations.
Medical Power of Attorney: Appoints a health care proxy (agent) to make general and emergency medical choices on your behalf if you become incapacitated.
POLST / DNR: Orders like a Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment or Do Not Resuscitate form give direct instructions to emergency medical teams.
Implementation
State Rules: Each state has specific forms and legal witness or notary rules that you must follow. You can find official state templates through resources like.
When It Starts: The directive only takes effect when a doctor certifies that you are unable to make or communicate your own health care choices.
Updates: Review your documents yearly or after major life events like a move, marriage, or diagnosis.
Considerations
What to consider before making the decisions involved in creating the Directive
Things to think about when deciding who to appoint as your advocates,
Tools to help clarify end-of-life wishes for care as well as other preferences, eg. die at home, no CPR or ventilators, do I want such things as music or touch, etc.
Where to access forms, guidance in creating the directive itself, and where to submit it when complete and witnessed, e.g. hospital medical record, physician’s office, advocate appointees, etc.
Helpful Resources
MERI is a program at UCSF that trains med students and physicians in palliative care. It also offers free public workshops in Poetic Medicine for Wounded Healers, gatherings for those facing end-of-life, and other such.