What Are Advanced Directives?

Two types of Advanced Directives are:

Living Will	A Living Will is a legal document in which you state the kind of health care you want or don't want under certain circumstances.
Health Care Proxy	A Health Care Proxy (or Durable Health Care Power of Attorney) is a legal document in which you name someone close to make decisions about your health care in the event you become incapacitated.
What are the benefits of advance directives?
Peace of Mind	Namely, peace of mind, knowing that your choices are secure and will be available to your family and doctors even if you become incapacitated or ill away from home.
Serenity	The serenity of knowing that you will be able to "speak" to your family and doctors through your advance directive about your personal philosophy and help them make decisions you want without them feeling guilt or remorse.
Security	When you register your advance directive you will have the security of confidential, 24-hour access to your choices by authorized hospitals across America.

If you do not have advanced directives and need them, please click below for the form you need.

Once you fill out the forms above you can register them at the Living Will Registry.*

This wonderful link allows Americans to register advanced directives, living wills and health care proxies, at no charge.

The U.S. Living Will Registry of Westfield, NJ, electronically stores advance directives and makes them available to hospitals across the nation, 24 hours a day, through an automated computer fax system.

It is a legal document.

Any hospital can call to obtain a faxed copy of the directive and emergency contact information. The service maintains patient privacy because only hospitals are allowed access to the information.

Joseph Barmakian, who founded the service, said it can help answer difficult questions about whether a patient should be placed on a ventilator, get intravenous feeding, or be considered as an organ donor.

You and your life are precious.

Make sure your wishes are known to those you love and who love you!