Decide what you want while you can with advanced directives

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In Iowa the two main advanced directives are the durable power of attorney for health care and the living will. Photo courtesy Jacob Windham

Everyone likes to get to choose. Whether it’s something as trivial as what to eat or as big as a spouse or a job, we want to be the one to choose.

You have the right to decide what you want done (or not done) regarding your medical treatment.

Unfortunately, in some case you might not be able to voice your preferences when the moment comes. This could be because you had a bad accident or a medical event such as a stroke or heart attack.

How will the medical team and your loved ones know what you prefer if you can no longer express your preference and if you have not previously told them?

Some very simple legal documents, called Advanced Directives, will be your voice when you cannot communicate your preferences directly . In Iowa the two main documents are the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and the Living Will.

The power of attorney means that if you are not able to state your wishes, you have appointed someone in advance to do so. This power only takes effect when you are unable to speak for yourself.

A living will usually provides specific directions for your doctors or caregivers to follow, such as forbidding the use of burdensome treatment or withholding food and water if they are supplied through feeding tubes or other medical devices.

A living will can be very specific or very general. An example of a statement sometimes found in a living will is: “If I suffer an incurable, irreversible illness, disease or condition and if my attending physician determines that my condition is terminal, I direct that life-sustaining measures that would serve only to prolong my dying be withheld or discontinued.”

If you don’t have written Advanced Directives, discuss them with your family, medical professional and attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, Iowa Legal Aid can assist you.

Ann Cochran is the health navigation coordinator in the Dallas County Public Health Department.

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