The purpose of a Living Will declaration is to document your wish that life-sustaining treatment, in
The purpose of a Living Will declaration is to document your wish that life-sustaining treatment, including artificially or technologically su lied nutrition and hydration, be withheld or withdrawn if you are unable to make informed medical decisio and are in a terminal condition or in a permanently unco cious state.
1. Life-sustaining treatment mea any health care, including artificially or technologically su lied nutrition and hydration, that will serve mainly to prolong the proce of dying.
2. Terminal condition or terminal illne mea an irreversible, incurable and untreatable condition caused by disease, illne or injury. Your physician and one other physician will have examined you and believe that you ca ot recover and that death is likely to occur within a relatively short time if you do not receive life-sustaining treatment.
3. Permanently unco cious state mea an irreversible condition in which you are permanently unaware of yourself and your surroundings. Your physician and one other physician must examine you and agree that the total lo of higher brain function has left you unable to feel pain or suffering.
Having a Living Will does not affect the re o ibility of health care perso el to provide comfort care to you. Comfort care mea any measure taken to diminish pain or discomfort, but not to postpone death.
In most states, a Living Will is a licable only to individuals in a terminal condition or a permanently unco cious state. If you wish to direct medical treatment in other circumstances, you should prepare a Health Care Power of Attorney.
The Health Care Power of Attorney form gives the person you designate (agent or attorney-in-fact) the authority to make most health care (including dental, nursing, ychological, and surgical) decisio for you if you lose the capacity to make informed health care decisio for yourself. This authority is effective only when your attending physician determines that you have lost the capacity to make informed health care decisio for yourself. As long as you have the capacity to make informed health care decisio for yourself, you retain the right to make all medical and other health care decisio . You may also limit the health care decisio that your agent will have the authority to make. The authority of the agent to make health care decisio for you generally will include the authority to give informed co ent, to refuse to give informed co ent, or to withdraw informed co ent to any care, treatment, service, or procedure to maintain, diagnose, or treat a physical or mental condition.
1. Life-sustaining treatment mea any health care, including artificially or technologically su lied nutrition and hydration, that will serve mainly to prolong the proce of dying.
2. Terminal condition or terminal illne mea an irreversible, incurable and untreatable condition caused by disease, illne or injury. Your physician and one other physician will have examined you and believe that you ca ot recover and that death is likely to occur within a relatively short time if you do not receive life-sustaining treatment.
3. Permanently unco cious state mea an irreversible condition in which you are permanently unaware of yourself and your surroundings. Your physician and one other physician must examine you and agree that the total lo of higher brain function has left you unable to feel pain or suffering.
Having a Living Will does not affect the re o ibility of health care perso el to provide comfort care to you. Comfort care mea any measure taken to diminish pain or discomfort, but not to postpone death.
In most states, a Living Will is a licable only to individuals in a terminal condition or a permanently unco cious state. If you wish to direct medical treatment in other circumstances, you should prepare a Health Care Power of Attorney.
The Health Care Power of Attorney form gives the person you designate (agent or attorney-in-fact) the authority to make most health care (including dental, nursing, ychological, and surgical) decisio for you if you lose the capacity to make informed health care decisio for yourself. This authority is effective only when your attending physician determines that you have lost the capacity to make informed health care decisio for yourself. As long as you have the capacity to make informed health care decisio for yourself, you retain the right to make all medical and other health care decisio . You may also limit the health care decisio that your agent will have the authority to make. The authority of the agent to make health care decisio for you generally will include the authority to give informed co ent, to refuse to give informed co ent, or to withdraw informed co ent to any care, treatment, service, or procedure to maintain, diagnose, or treat a physical or mental condition.
