An advance directive is a form of direction that allows a person to express healthcare preferences in the case that person becomes unable to make or communicate his or her own decisions. Advance directives include a host of options, such as power of attorney for healthcare decisions, living wills and informal directives people make in letters, conversations and conduct. Any advance directive must be signed while a person still has approved mental capacity to sign legal documents.
All people have a constitutional right to refuse any medical treatment, including ventilators and feeding tubes. This was determined by a Supreme Court decision called
Cruzan et ux v. Director, Missouri Department of Health. There are also state laws that authorize an individual to name a person to make healthcare decisions for when he or she is unable to do so himself or herself.
Advance directives are intended to ensure that a person’s wishes are known — and followed. Among other things, they allow a person to state wishes regarding the potential use of life-prolonging procedures. The necessary documents will be most helpful to survivors if wishes are discussed ahead of time with family members, friends and healthcare providers as part of advance care planning.
The most common healthcare directive is the Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions. It allows you to appoint a person to make healthcare decisions if you are incapacitated, and it also allows one to state wishes about issues such as life support and organ donation. The document would go into effect only when the creator of it cannot make or communicate decisions for himself or herself.
When a person completes an advance directive, copies of it should be given to corresponding physicians, family members, clergy, attorneys, friends and other appropriate people. The details of the directive should be discussed. Whenever the person is hospitalized, a copy should accompany him or her. The person also should ask the doctor to make it a part of the permanent medical record.
Contrary to what some might believe, an advance directive is valid in any state. However, because there are state-to-state differences, it is recommended that people have documents drawn up, witnessed and notarized in the state where they live. Advance directives then stay in effect until the creator’s death, unless that person revokes it ahead of then.