Advance Care Planning

Advance care planning is how you communicate your wishes to your loved ones and medical professionals should you become incommunicado. The first and most crucial step is having conversations with your medical team and the people making decisions on your behalf. Although this can be difficult, all parties will benefit if you cannot make your wishes known.

An Advance Care Directive is a legal document allowing you to specify your preferences for medical treatment and end-of-life care. This document, also known as a living will, can help take the guesswork out of how you want to be cared for. It will outline your wishes regarding life-sustaining treatments, resuscitation, pain management, organ donation, and other medical interventions.

A Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare is the second legal document for advance care planning. This document designates the person you choose to make your healthcare decisions should you become incapacitated. This person should be a trusted individual who is familiar with your wishes. Share your documents with your designated person as well as other close loved ones so they know what to do if your proxy is unavailable.

These two documents are essential components of advance care planning. Making medical care decisions can be daunting for your loved ones. These documents help alleviate the burden of decision-making for them during difficult times. Without these documents, state laws will determine who will make medical decisions on your behalf. This person is typically your next of kin.

While recognized as legal documents, there is no legal obligation to follow them, meaning talking to your loved ones and medical team is paramount. More on that here. Should a complex medical situation arise where it’s not completely clear what your wishes are, these conversations will give guidance on how to proceed.

You can include other forms in your advance care directive, such as “do not resuscitate,” “do not intubate,” and “do not hospitalize.” You will have these orders on file in your medical chart. Without them, the medical team will make these decisions for you, doing everything possible to save your life. You can find these forms on The Conversation Project website.

While uncomfortable sometimes, conversations surrounding end-of-life are necessary. You will need a lawyer to help with the legal documents and a loved one who will carry out your wishes. Your choices may upset critical people in your network, so that’s something to consider when choosing who will fulfill your desires. It’s best to advocate for yourself and your wishes while you still can.

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