Advance Care Planning: A Gift for Loved Ones
You might see this question often when checking in for an appointment: “Do you have an advance directive?” But, what does this mean, and how can completing an advance directive help you and your loved ones?
Advance care planning is the process of considering and communicating future medical choices that would need to be made if you experience a sudden illness, injury, or a chronic or life-limiting illness. These important decisions are then documented using an advance directive. Advance directives serve as a guide to your loved ones and health care team.
An advance directive consists of two parts:
- Health care surrogate designation
- Living will
The health care surrogate designation informs your medical team who you would want to make medical decisions on your behalf if you were unable to communicate about your care. It’s important to choose someone in your life that you trust, who would follow your wishes for your health care.
The living will outline the types of medical care you would want—or not want—if you were unable to speak for yourself and had a terminal condition, an end-stage condition or were in a persistent vegetative state.
Discussing and completing an advance directive can be a gift to your loved ones. It provides them with peace of mind that they will know what to do and what you would want if a time comes when they need to make important medical decisions on your behalf. Advance directives also offer you reassurance that your wishes for your medical care will be known, respected and followed.
The best time to complete an advance directive is when you are feeling well and are able to easily communicate with your loved ones and medical team. Some patients may want to complete an advance directive before treatment begins or before surgery. These forms can be updated at any time if your wishes change. You can ask your Moffitt social worker for an advance directive and guidance around advance care planning.
For more information on completing an advance directive, please contact the Social Work Office at 813-745-8407.
This story was originally published in the PARTNERS newsletter. Visit Moffitt.org/PARTNERS for more stories and to learn more.