Advance Care Planning Basics (Page 9 in the Resource Guide)
1. Every adult needs an Advance Healthcare Directive:
* To name your choice of person(s) to make your health care decisions when you can no
longer communicate
* To tell everyone caring for you what kind of health care you want and don’t want
* To tell everyone caring for you how you feel about life support
* To make special requests about the people or things important to you when you are ill
(friends, music, clergy, pets, poetry, scripture, etc.)
* To tell everyone where you want to live in your final days
* To make choices about organ donation, cremation, burial
* To tell everyone how you want to be remembered
2. Complete a POLST with your doctor’s help if you presently have a serious life-threatening or terminal illness.
Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment forms are detailed doctor’s orders which reflect your choices about life support options or resuscitation. They are written to be kept in your medical chart. The law requires doctors, emergency medical responders, and healthcare workers to honor these detailed choices. Similar documents are called DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) and DNI (Do Not Intubate).
3. Give copies of your Advance Directive to your physician, hospital and family member / Agent.
4. Update it as necessary.
You can find information and download forms at:
* California Department of Justice- Advance directives
https://oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/adv_hc_dir
* Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (non-profit)
http://coalitionccc.org
* St. Jude Medical Center / Senior Services (714-446-7035) or www.stjudemedicalcenter.org/