What is an Advance Directive?
Advance directives are documents that state how you want medical decisions made if you lose the ability to make them for yourself. The documents include the Patient’s Advance Directive, which explains what kind of care the patient wants, the Acceptance by Patient Advocate form, which names the person who will assure your care and the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, which authorizes that person to speak for you. Michigan only recognizes advance directives that include a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.
An advance directive is a form that you fill out to describe the kinds of medical care you want to have if something happens to you and you can’t speak for yourself. It tells your family and your doctor what to do if you’re badly hurt or have a serious illness that keeps you from saying what you want. An advance directive can also be a talk you have with your family and your doctor about the kinds of care you want to have.
Although not legally enforceable in Massachusetts, an advance directive is a document in which you describe the kinds of medical treatment you would agree to, or not agree to, if you were unable to make or communicate those choices yourself. An advance directive is not binding in Massachusetts because Massachusetts does not have a law requiring hospitals or other health care providers to follow the instructions contained in an advance directive. However, an advance directive can provide valuable guidance to a health care provider or court that is trying to make a health care choice on your behalf. In Connecticut, your wishes regarding medical treatment are contained in the Living Will and, therefore, does not require a separate document. Back to Top 8. What’s the point of a Living Trust? The easiest way to understand the primary benefits of a Living Trust is to answer two questions. First, on your death, would you prefer that: a) Your family spend 1 to 2 years doing paperwork at the Pr
Advance directives are documents signed by a competent person giving direction to health care providers about treatment choices in certain circumstances. There are two types of advance directives. A durable power of attorney for health care (“durable power”) allows you to name a “patient advocate” to act for you and carry out your wishes. A living will allows you to state your wishes in writing, but does not name a patient advocate. Why have an advance directive? Many people have strong feelings about the kind of medical care they would like to receive or refuse in certain circumstances. An advance directive allows you to clearly state your feelings. What decisions should I consider? • Who would you like to make treatment decisions for you, if you become unable to so? • How do you feel about ventilators, surgery, resuscitation (CPR), drugs or tube feeding if you were to become terminally ill? If you were unconscious and not likely to wake up? If you were senile? • What kind of medical
