What is an Advance Directive?
An advance directive is a written document that expresses the individual's wishes for medical care if he or she becomes incompetent or incapacitated. Advance directives may include living wills, health care agents, or durable powers of attorney. When you are admitted to the hospital, a staff member will ask you if you have already prepared an advance directive. If you have an advanced directive, and a copy is available, it will be placed in your medical record.

Resources

• Making Medical Decisions in Advance
  Provided by UPMC
  
  
• Five Wishes
  Provided by Aging with Dignity
  Five Wishes lets your family and doctors know:
  1. Who you want to make health care decisions for you when you can't make them.
  2. The kind of medical treatment you want or don't want.
  3. How comfortable you want to be.
  4. How you want people to treat you.
  5. What you want your loved ones to know.
  Request a Five Wishes Booklet from the Aging Institute

The Importance of Advance Planning
By planning in advance how to handle different scenarios, a person can live their life as they desire and gain greater control over decisions that affect their future. Caregivers need to encourage their loved one to discuss these issues. This will help their loved one make their desires known and feel some measure of control over future uncertainties.