Advance Directives

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• Advance Directives Introduction
• Definitions
• Reasons for an Advance Directive
• A Health Care Surrogate
• Facts About Advance Directives
• Resources
• Synonyms and Keywords
• References
• Authors and Editors

Advance Directives Introduction

Advance directives center around the principles of your right to die and death with dignity. With an advance directive, you can express how much or how little you want done for you when you are no longer able to make these decisions.

• Advance directives are a way of making your voice heard when you can no longer speak. They allow you to appoint someone to make your health care decisions for you when you no longer can and to administer or withhold treatment and procedures. Advance directives are not just for the elderly. All people who desire to direct their medical care in the future should complete an advance directive.
  
  
• All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws regarding advance directives. Authorities also agree that no difference exists between withholding life-saving treatment and withdrawing life-support treatment. This is especially important in a situation where someone is resuscitated despite his or her wishes because the advance directive could not be found and the person is put on life support. Once the advance directive is shown to health care providers, life-support measures can be withdrawn.
  
  
• An advance directive does not mean, "do not treat." This is a common misperception and not correct. Of course, if you want it to mean do not treat, then that is something that your surrogate needs to know.