Making Your Wishes Known - Tips for completing your advance directive

An Advance Health Care Directive is simply your written wishes and instructions for your health care if you cannot speak for yourself.  

You only have to choose two things:

1. Who will speak for you.
2. What you would want to happen and what choices you would want regarding the type of end-of-life treatments you would or would not want to have, as well as pain relief.  

Decide who will carry out your wishes.

• The person you choose does not necessarily have to be your spouse or the person closest to you. Sometimes, the person closest to you may be under emotional distress and you may choose someone who could carry out your wishes in most situations.

Discuss your end-of-life decisions with important people to you.

• What is important to you when you are dying?
• Are there specific medical treatments that you especially want or do not want? 
• If you have a terminal illness, do you want aggressive treatment or comfort care?
• When you are dying, do you want to be in a nursing home, hospital or at home?

Download an advance directive form • En Español