10 Reasons You Need an Advance Directive
Have you ever wondered who gets to call the shots in terms of your healthcare or overall well-being when you are no longer able to do so? If you are worried that you won’t receive the proper care or that decisions about your health made by someone else on your behalf might not be what you intended or need, don’t sweat it. There is something out there that protects you and that something is referred to as an Advance Directive. Advance directives are legally recognized documents that outline your preferences and wishes in the event that you are no longer able to communicate and/or make your own decisions. Now, if you’re asking yourself: “Just how effective can this be?” then you are asking the right question. Here are the top 10 reasons why you will need an advance directive as part of your estate plan.
1. Ensures Your Healthcare Wishes are Respected
Your medical needs and preferences are not something that should be swept under the rug. There are many different forms of documents in an advanced directive and all for specific reasoning. Most commonly, this includes a living will and a healthcare proxy (power of attorney), both of which will protect your wishes. A living will is the set of instructions you put into place that will outline your medication, treatments, and overall specifics of your health care based on your own choices. And, a healthcare proxy is a person that you appoint to make the decisions on your behalf. So, regardless of any direction life will take you, rest assured you have the power to adjust the course of action with an advance directive.
2. Provides Clarity for Family and Loved Ones
Let’s say you choose one of your family members as your HCPOA (health care power of attorney). Or maybe it’s your neighbor with whom you’ve spent the majority of your life living next door. Either way, you trust them. Wouldn’t you want to give them a set of instructions on how to take care of you should you not be able to do so yourself? Your selected agent or healthcare surrogate deserves some sort of relief knowing there is a guide on how to manage your care, just as much as you deserve the peace of mind knowing you’ll be taken care of properly. However, it is important to make this guide as thorough as possible for the one who will be following it.
3. Legal Authority in Medical Decisions
All documents in an advance directive can be legally recognized. One of the biggest factors in the validity of these documents is that you must be an adult who can communicate and comprehend the decisions you make when you make them. Therefore, once your choices are clear and written you must sign them with a witness. This will legally back up any treatments, procedures, and medications you may or even may NOT want in the event you can’t communicate or decide anymore. It’s worth noting that different states have different restrictions on who can be a witness. Make your choices carefully and the healthcare staff will take care of the rest.
4. Avoids Unwanted Medical Treatments
As previously mentioned, you do have the power to opt OUT of anything in terms of your healthcare through an advance directive. For example, in a time of crisis, there are other forms of advance directives in which you can express your wishes on how to handle a life-threatening situation. This would include:
- Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR)
- Do Not Hospitalize (DNH)
- Do Not Intubate (DNI)
Whether it goes against your conscience or values, you are the voice of reason in what you do not want, and your advance directive will make that known. It’s just as important to review options that might conflict with your needs or wishes as it is to consider those you desire or require.
5. Facilitates Communication with Healthcare Providers
It’s one thing to appoint someone as the authority to make your decisions for you, but it’s another to ensure those taking care of you (doctors and nurses) can effectively be informed of your care. It’s becoming more commonplace for physicians and nurses to help you plan your advance directives, but wouldn’t you want to help them by being ahead of the game? It’s also advisable to discuss your advance directive with your regular healthcare provider. There are certain situations where providers might override decisions made by your healthcare proxy, such as when those decisions conflict with a provider’s conscience, violate accepted standards, or contradict an institution’s policy.
6. Offers Peace of Mind
Not only will you reap the benefit of having your wishes documented, but your loved ones will too. Just imagine how you would want to feel. Would you be absolutely confident that you’re making the best choices for a friend or family member if you had to? It’s not an easy task to attempt to take care of someone in their time of need without any indication of how. So, whoever has been approved as your healthcare proxy will feel a great deal of relief knowing there are instructions out there. A less stressful state of mind would be ideal for you, your loved ones, and healthcare professionals.
7. Empowers Designation of a Healthcare Proxy
The key factor in appointing your healthcare proxy is trust. While it might seem obvious to choose a family member, it is perfectly acceptable to choose outside of your family tree. They can even be a member of your church community. Either way, this person has to know you. And that doesn’t just mean in the literal sense, they need to know you to make decisions for you. If this is not someone in your immediate family or close circle of trust then they must at least be willing to speak up for you when needed. Start thinking of who you might have in mind for this role, and then plan a conversation with them. It would make an excellent dynamic for the two of you to let them know exactly what they’re in for. Keep in mind that different states have different policies and your family members or spouse could be automatically assigned.
8. Prepare for Unexpected Situations
While you can never predict the future, a little preparation can go a long way. You can be ready for potential health scenarios with the right advance directive. Start by assessing your current health status and consider any possible issues that might arise. Do you have a plan in place for these concerns? Don’t let unforeseen circumstances catch you off guard. Address anything that might come up and have your plan of action ready; it will provide relief for both you and your provider. Who wouldn’t want that?
9. Encourages Open Discussions about End-of-Life Preferences
As stated before, you have options to protect your wishes under extreme or even dire circumstances. With multiple “Do Not” orders out there, there are also orders that will call a medical professional into action such as Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) if critical. This sounds scary, but the healthcare providers are here for you in making these decisions. And it is still your call to make. Have these discussions with your provider when creating your advance directives and it could open the door to other healthcare wishes you want kept.
10. Supports Your Ethical and Religious Beliefs
Your ethics, morals, values, and religious beliefs should NOT be off the table when making these important decisions. One might think that logic is the way to go about this, but it’s important to keep your faith in mind too. The documents and people involved will honor your beliefs. Consider speaking to anyone in your religious community about certain practices and procedures when making your advance directives. And do not be afraid to keep in mind your own values as they could play an important role in your decision-making.
Consider Adding an Advance Directive To Your Estate Plan!
With all of this in mind, there is never a bad time to start thinking about the preparation of any advance directive. Rest assured you can make changes at any given time as long as it’s properly distributed. So, start having conversations. Your loved ones, physicians, and caretakers will be appreciative knowing you are taking the time to think of them as well. With so many options, you can have absolute peace of mind knowing it’s all taken care of.
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Originally published November 04, 2024
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