Your Healthcare Preferences: Advance Care Planning

For most of us, end-of-life planning seems like something we can do later. However, now is the perfect time to learn about Advance Directives, along with other documents that make your healthcare wishes clear. Advance Directives can ensure that you get the care you want when you can’t speak for yourself. They can also help your loved ones understand what is most important to you – not just at the end of life but in any healthcare crisis.

What is an Advance Directive?

Advance Directive is an umbrella term that generally includes two important documents: your Living Will and Medical Power of Attorney. You complete these documents while you are able to make your own medical decisions. You then sign them along with two adults who witness your signature. The documents are used to express your healthcare wishes if you’re no longer able to make these impactful decisions yourself or tell your providers, caregivers, or loved ones.

Advance Directives help ensure you have the quality of life you envision, and they spare your loved ones from having to make certain decisions for you. An Advance Directive:

• Specifies the types of treatments you want or don’t want at the end of life or whether you want to participate in organ donation

• Allows you to appoint someone as your healthcare agent, who’s legally authorized to make decisions about your healthcare if you’re unable to make them yourself

An Advance Directive outlines your choices for decisions about possible health-related circumstances that could come up in the future.

You can learn more about Advance Care Planning by following the link below.

Advance Care Planning Information

If you have additional questions about Advance Care Planning, please submit those by following the link below and we will follow up with you.

Advance Care Planning Questions