Healthcare Directive

Answer:

The healthcare directive is the document you sign that informs healthcare providers whether you want to be kept alive if you’re persistently unconscious, terminally ill, or you have no brain activity and you have no chance of recovering. It tells them whether you want to receive intravenous nutrition or liquids. In the absence of a healthcare directive, your medical team will have no option other than keeping you alive. If you need to go to the hospital, the first things the medical staff will ask you are, “Do you have a healthcare of directive? Do you have a durable power of attorney?” They want that on the file so they know who to call and talk to about what they should do in the event that you are incapacitated. Not having a healthcare directive causes a confusion. It can also cause significant emotional and even spiritual disagreements among family members who may have firm yet opposing opinions on issues around life support.