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ADVANCE CARE PLANNING
Individuals like to think that
they will always be healthy and able to make decisions for
themselves. But if they develop a sudden illness or serious
condition or are involved in an accident, they might not be
able to make decisions for themselves. Making their wishes
known while they are still healthy is a good idea. This can be
done by completing an Advance Directive.
Then sharing their healthcare
decisions with others is the best way to make sure they are
respected.
Patients, families, and
clinicians all can benefit from advance planning. Knowing your
patients wishes may help ease their burden and reduce their
uncertainty if ever a medical decisions has to be made when
they are incapacitated.
This webpage provides you, the
clinician, with resources, case examples, policies, and
Advance Directive documents, and internal contacts in an
effort to facilitate this planning process.
The term advance directive
describes two types of legal documents that enable individuals
to plan for and communicate their wishes for medical care and
who would make those for them in the event they are unable to
communicate. They traditionally include:
- A living will which allows
individuals to document their wishes concerning medical
treatments, traditionally options about life sustaining
care, at the end of life.
- A medical power of attorney,
durable power of attorney for healthcare, or health care
proxy allows individuals to appoint a person they trust as
their health care agent (or surrogate decision maker), who
is authorized to make medical decisions on their behalf.
Both federal and state laws
govern the use of advance directives. The federal law, the
Patient Self-Determination Act, requires health care
facilities that receive Medicaid and Medicare funds to inform
patients of their rights to execute advance directives, along
with providing an outlet to receive that information. All 50
states and the District of Columbia have laws recognizing the
use of advance directives.
Click here to download the
Georgia Advance Directive for Healthcare.
Click here to
download the Georgia Advance Directive for Healthcare
Information Handout.
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