Advance care directives (living will) and medical durable power of attorney are legal documents that protect your right to make choices about your medical care if you ever become unable to communicate your wishes.
At INTEGRIS Health, we understand these talks can seem overwhelming. We also recognize that a crisis can impact anyone. We see discussing your goals and wishes as an important part of daily care, spanning from wellness to illness.
Offering your family the gift of your voice and decisions before a crisis ensures they can confidently honor your choices if the need arises.
Advance care planning ensures your healthcare preferences are known when you cannot express them yourself. It's essential for everyone as unexpected health issues can arise anytime.
Having a plan prevents loved ones from having to guess your wishes, aligning decisions with your values for comfort and appropriate care. This includes choices about emergency treatments like CPR, ventilator use and feeding tubes.
Anatomical gifts
Body donation for medical science is arranged before death with the receiving facility, not the hospital.
Appointing a healthcare proxy
Choose someone to make decisions for you when you cannot. Ensure they:
End-stage condition
This condition leaves you unable to care for yourself. Life support won't aid recovery.
Persistently unconscious
Two doctors confirm you won't regain awareness.
Terminal condition
Two doctors agree death is near, and life support only delays it.
Once you've identified your healthcare wishes and values, appointed your healthcare proxy and completed the appropriate documents, you are few more steps to complete your advance care planning process.
Take control of your care. Quickly complete your advance directive within INTEGRIS Health and Me.
Advance directive
This legal document outlines the medical decisions you’ve made for yourself.
It's a roadmap your family and friends can follow should you be unable to make choices because you’ve been incapacitated. You can revisit and revise your advance directive at any time as your situation or health changes. It is a great gift you can give the people who will likely attempt to make decisions on your behalf under emotionally difficult times.
An advance directive allows you to designate a health care proxy. This articulates and formalizes your wish to appoint someone else to make medical decisions if you cannot, ensuring your medical treatment instructions are carried out. Without a health care proxy, your doctor may provide you with medical treatment you would have refused if you were able. If you later regain capacity, you will be back in charge of your medical decisions; the health care proxy will have no effect. A health care proxy only takes effect when medical treatment is needed, and two doctors determine you are unable to communicate your treatment preferences.
We have this document available to you in the three languages.
Do not resuscitate (DNR)
A DNR outlines your choice to let nature take its course in a medical crisis, meaning you refuse resuscitation if your heart or breathing stops. While it can be included in your advance directive, it doesn't cover all medical instructions.
Durable power of attorney
This is a written authorization for one person to represent or act on another person’s behalf in legal matters, in business or private affairs.
A person who has been given power of attorney makes medical decisions, manages finances and otherwise acts in your place. Before you become incapacitated, consider assigning durable power of attorney to someone you trust. This designation is sometimes called a medical power of attorney. It is important to make a clear statement in your power of attorney papers that you wish to also give medical powers to a specific individual.
The durable power of attorney must be witnessed by two people who are older than 18 years and are not related to the primary patient. It does not need to be notarized.
