It is important to have an advance directive appointing someone to speak for you should you become incapacitated. This person is called an “agent” or “health care proxy.” While many people appoint a family member, one must be sure that your agent will be a strong advocate capable of fighting to honor your wishes.
Some people without a good candidate hire a professional fiduciary to be their healthcare agent. Fiduciaries should have active licenses from the state.
Even young people should have a healthcare proxy as the parents of 19 year old Baylie Grogan found out the hard way when Baylie, away at college, was involved in a serious accident. Because she was an adult without a legal healthcare proxy, her parents could not obtain any information with specifics of her injuries, including what kind of surgery she’d undergone. Later they had to fight hospital officials who wanted to institutionalize Grogan in a vegetative state instead of allowing her to die, something the mother knew had been her daughter’s choice.
The FinalExodus.org website explains in more detail the importance of having discussions with your agent and your family about your wishes.
The Completed Life Initiative has a simple checklist for completing an advance directive.
Conversations that Count: How to Discuss Your End-of-Life Wishes and Plans with the People Who Matter: Click Here to Watch the Video
The Death Deck – designed to make talking about death easy (and fun): Click Here
Talking with Your Family About Your End of Life Wishes – a radio interview with Faye Girsh: Click Here
The Conversation Project Helping people share their wishes for care through the end of life.
Dementia Directives
Early Dementia Directive – Final Exodus
Dementia Directive – End of Life Washington
Dementia Advance Directive – End of Life Choices New York
Dementia Directive – Dementia-Directive.org
Advance Directives:
Advance Health Care Directive Form – Final Exodus
Advance Health Care Directive Form – California Attorney General
What Matters Most Directive – Stanford (California)
Advance Directive Form by State – CaringInfo
Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)
CA POLST Form – POLST California