Your right to use advance directives (such as a living will or a power of attorney)
You have the right to ask someone such as a family member or friend to help you
with decisions about your health care. Sometimes, people become unable to make health
care decisions for themselves due to accidents or serious illness. If you want to,
you can use a special form to give someone the legal authority to make decisions
for you if you ever become unable to make decisions for yourself. You also have
the right to give your doctors written instructions about how you want them to handle
your medical care if you become unable to make decisions for yourself. The legal
documents that you can use to give your directions in advance in these situations
are called “advance directives.”
There are different types of advance directives and different names for them. Documents
called “living will” and “power of attorney for health care” are examples of advance
directives. If you want to have an advance directive, you can get a form by clicking
the link below. You can also get a form from your lawyer, from a social worker,
or from some office supply stores. You can sometimes get advance directive forms
from organizations that give people information about Medicare. Regardless of where
you get this form, keep in mind that it is a legal document. You should consider
having a lawyer help you prepare it. It is important to sign this form and keep
a copy at home. You should give a copy of the form to your doctor and to the person
you name on the form as the one to make decisions for you if you can’t. You may
want to give copies to close friends or family members as well.
If you know ahead of time that you are going to be hospitalized, and you have signed
an advance directive, take a copy with you to the hospital. If you are admitted
to the hospital, they will ask you whether you have signed an advance directive
form and whether you have it with you. If you have not signed an advance directive
form, the hospital has forms available and will ask if you want to sign one.
Remember, it is your choice whether you want to fill out an advance directive (including
whether you want to sign one if you are in the hospital). According to law, no one
can deny you care or discriminate against you based on whether or not you have signed
an advance directive. If you have signed an advance directive, and you believe that
a doctor or hospital hasn’t followed the instructions in it, you may file a complaint
with:
Advance Directives
Download your state's Advance Directives Form on the Caring Connections
.
The file(s) below are in PDF format (
)
Advance Directives Information Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the file(s) above. a free version.