What is an Advance Directive?
An Advance Directive for Health Care is a general term for documents in which you express your wishes about life-prolonging procedures. Frequently used Advance Directives for Health Care are a Living Will and a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. Living Will is a document that contains a general statement regarding continued health care when you are incapable of making health care decisions and are terminally ill. Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care is a document in which you formulate statements concerning continued health care when you are incapable of making health care decisions for yourself. This document includes naming an agent and an alternate who will act consistently with your desires as stated in the document. The document must be notarized or witnessed when you sign it. Federal law requires that Mercy Medical Center ask you whether or not you have an Advance Directive when you are admitted to the hospital. If you do not have one, you may request assistance from
An advance directive is a legal document that you prepare before become unable to talk about your medical care wishes. The document tells your caregivers what treatments you want or do not want in terms of treatments. An advance directive also appoints someone to make those choices for you when you are unable to do so for yourself. Through an advance directive, your decisions become legal, and must be carried out by your caregivers.
An Advance Directive enables you to guide your family and physician if you are unable to communicate with them. It allows you to control the extent to which lifesustaining medical measures will be used and can help you protect your loved ones from being forced to make those difficult decisions. A Living Will is NOT a property will. A Healthcare Proxy is a person you appoint to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to make them for yourself. This person may make decisions that are not clearly stated in your Advance Directive.
An advance directive is a legal document, written in advance of an incapacitating illness, that allows patients to state their preferences about medical care. The state of New Hampshire recognizes two forms of advance directives – a living will and a durable power of attorney for health care. An Advance Care Planning Guide from the New Hampshire Hospital Association, including a card to carry in your wallet, can be printed from your computer.
