The beginning of a new year is an opportunity to consider those things you have been putting off. I heard last week that two of the greatest gifts you can give the next generation are organized, digitized photos and your advance care directives. If you are like 70 percent of Americans, then you are without an advance care plan. Advance directives provide you with the opportunity to express your end-of-life wishes in writing.
Every adult, no matter how young or how old, should consider advance care planning. This includes what you want to happen if you are not able to make your own medical decisions. There are some key parts to advance care planning including designating a Health Care Power of Attorney and completing advance directives like a Living Will, donor registry, and declaration for funeral arrangements.
The Conversation Project from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement has a helpful resource available called “How to Choose a Health Care Proxy.” A health care proxy is also known as a health care agent or power of attorney for health care. This person is the one who will speak for you when you are unable to speak for yourself. This resource walks you through several things to consider in choosing a person and how to have the conversation with them.
Another excellent resource is from The Ohio Hospital Association called “Choices: Living Well at the End of Life.” Because this is an Ohio specific publication, it contains forms that can be completed here in Ohio. It also clearly explains the differences between a Health Care Power of Attorney and a Living Will. A Health Care Power of Attorney provides an agent with the authority to make health care decisions on your behalf, access your records, set up appointments, choose which doctors see you, and more. This is different from a Financial Power of Attorney, which allows a person of your choosing to make financial decisions on your behalf when you are unable to make them.
A Living Will is only used in situations when you are unable to tell your physician what kind of health care services you want to receive. For it to go into effect, you must be terminally ill and unable to tell your physician your wishes or permanently unconscious. A Living Will may include a Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) Order for a person who does not wish to have cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). It may also include wishes about comfort care and nutrition and hydration. A Living Will takes precedence over a Health Care Power of Attorney.
It is a good idea to have both documents, as they each address different aspects of your care. Any document you sign must be in accordance with the specific language spelled out in the Ohio Revised Code. You can obtain standard forms online that you can complete and have notarized. You may also consult with an attorney for assistance.
“Have a conversation with your family about your end-of-life wishes while you are healthy. No one wants to have that discussion… but if you do, you’ll be giving your loved ones a tremendous gift, since they won’t have to guess what your wishes would have been, and it takes the onus of responsibility off of them.”
—Jodi Picoult
Written by: Emily Marrison, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Coshocton County
Reviewed by: Kathy Tutt, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Clark County
Sources:
The Conversation Project https://theconversationproject.org/
Ohio Hospital Association: Advance Directives https://ohiohospitals.org/News-Publications/Publications/Advance-Directives
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