Volume 13, Number 4: July 2005
Living Wills and Other Advance Directives
As heart-wrenching as Terri Schiavo's illness and death were, news coverage has led many people to think about end-of-life health care. That is a benefit. Clearly, decisions made early and communicated plainly may have tremendous value for the person and the family.
The state of Florida provides excellent information about health-care advanced directives, which are statements telling how you want medical decisions made if you cannot make them yourself (for example, as a result of coma or dementia). The main types of advance directives are:
- Living will, a written or oral statement that specifies the kind of care you want or do not want.
- Health care surrogate, a document that designates the person who will make medical decisions for you. An alternate is a durable power of attorney, which designates a representative who could have other duties as well: legal, financial, etc.
- Do not resuscitate order (DNRO), a specific yellow form available from the Florida Department of Health that tells medical personnel you do not want to be resuscitated from respiratory or cardiac arrest. The DNRO is used, for example, with patients having terminal cancer or untreatable organ failure.
- Anatomical donation, a document indicating your wish to donate all or part of your body at death.
Here is important information about advance directives:
- A lawyer is not required to create an advance directive, unless you desire one.
- Two witnesses are required, however, whether the directive is oral or written. One must not be a spouse or blood relative.
- Read and discuss your directive with those concerned (your doctor, surrogate, family) to make sure others understand your wishes as you intend them.
- Give copies to the appropriate people. These might include your family and loved ones, your physician, your lawyer and your clergy.
- You may change or cancel a directive at any time.