Helping a loved one to plan their end-of-life care can be overwhelming, but there are several steps you can take together to lessen the burden.
For more information on distinguishing between the types of care that might be needed, see the graphic on Hospice Care & Palliative Care.
Advance Care Planning Decisions:
Below are some of the decisions that patients should make in advance, so their wishes are known. More details are available in the Advance Care Planning: Health Directives article.
Advance directives are documents written in advance which state your choices about medical treatment or name someone to make choices about medical treatment for you, if you become unable to make decisions. Through advance directives, you can make legally valid decisions about your future medical treatment. In 2004, Tennessee law changed the name of the form "Living Will" to "Advance Care Plan."
Why are advance directives important?
People have the right to make their own health care decisions. Advance directives can help people communicate their treatment choices when they would otherwise be unable to make such decisions.
But what if you become incapable of making health care decisions for yourself because of injury or illness?
Who will decide if you have CPR if your heart should stop suddenly? Who will decide whether you are to be kept alive with feeding tubes?
Making these decisions in advance can be comforting to both you and the person you choose to make these decisions.
You do not need an attorney to make an Advance Directive. You should have a competent adult who is not the agent and at least one witness not related to you by blood or marriage or adoption. Choose a person that will not inherit any of your property.
After your Advance Directive is signed, witnessed and/or notarized, give one copy to your agent, your successor agent, your doctor, and your local hospital. Keep the original document in a safe location where it can be easily found.
A Medical Power of Attorney is a term used in Tennessee law prior to 2004. The new law refers to this as an Appointment of Health Care Agent. An Appointment of Health Care Agent is another type of advance directive that allows you to name a person to make health care decisions for you if you are unable to make them for yourself.
How is the Appointment of Health Care Agent different from the Advance Care plan?
An Advance Care Plan provides directions to your doctor on how you want to be treated if you are terminally ill or permanently unconscious and unable to make decisions for yourself. An Advance Care Plan tells your doctor what you do not want unless you write in other specific instructions. It is a written record of decisions that you have made for yourself. On the other hand, the Appointment of Health Care Agent allows you to choose someone else to make health care decisions for you if you are too sick to make them yourself. This person is called your Health Care Agent. Your Agent can make any health care decision that you could make if you were able. A Health Care Agent allows you to give specific instructions to your representative about the type of care you would want to receive.