ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVES

The Advance Health Care Directive can be used to appoint a family member or friend to make health care decisions for you if you are physically or mentally unable to make those decisions for yourself.  It appoints an agent (and backup agents) who will carry out your wishes for health care. The directive also describes how much, or how little, medical care you want. For example, the directive might include details about use of pain-relieving drugs, when treatment should be halted, and whether nutrition and hydration should be provided. The agent’s authority to take action is triggered only by a determination that the patient lacks mental capacity.

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