Advance Directives
We respect your right to make your own medical treatment decisions. If you are 18 years of age or older and are mentally competent, you have the right to make decisions about your medical treatment. You have the right to accept or refuse treatments recommended by your providers. An advance directive gives you the power to control decisions about your healthcare should you become unable to communicate.
An advance directive is a set of directions you give about the healthcare you want should you lose the ability to make decisions for yourself. There are two types of advance directives:
- Healthcare directive (“living will”)
- Healthcare power of attorney
For more information about these directives, ask to meet with a social worker or a case manager.
Healthcare Directive (Living Will)
A living will is a document that conveys your orders that you want to die a natural death if you are terminally and incurably sick or in a persistent vegetative state from which you will not recover. A living will allows you to direct your healthcare provider regarding the type of treatments you do and do not wish should your condition become terminal.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
In the event that you become unable to make medical decisions related to your care, you may name a person to make these decisions for you. This person is called your healthcare agent. The healthcare power of attorney allows you to name your healthcare agent, who can say what medical treatments you would want and what you would not want. Your agent then knows what choices to make should you become unable to communicate with them.
If you have an advance directive, healthcare directive or a healthcare power of attorney, please have a copy brought to Confluence Health Hospital for your records.
