Writing your Advance Decisions
Step 1
Start by listing the following information:
- YOUR DETAILS (eg your name, address, telephone number, date of birth)
- NAME, ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF YOUR ADVOCATE
- NAME, ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT OTHERS
- NAME, ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF YOUR HEALTH CARE PROXY (this is someone of your choice that you want to be consulted and involved in decisions about your care)
- NAME, ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF PERSON(S) HOLDING A COPY OF YOUR ADVANCE DECISION
Step 2
The following questions are to help you write the main content of your Living Will.
1. Medical treatment and interventions
What are your wishes if you have a life threatening condition or irreversible brain damage and there is no reasonable expectation of recovering fully? What are your wishes if you are in a coma or persistent vegative state and no likelihood of regaining consciousness? For example, do you want cardipulmonary resuscitation, artificial nutrition and hydration, breathing via a ventilator or other interventions aimed at prolonging or sustaining life.
If so, you must state that you want to be kept alive for as long as reasonably possible using whatever interentions your professional carers think is clinically appropriate. If not, you must state that you refuse medical treatment in these circumstances, although please remember that you cannot refuse basic care - i.e. whatever is necessary to keep you clean, safe and comfortable.
Do you have any medical needs e.g. asthma, continence management, treatment of pressure sores? ANy allergic reaction to medication? Are there any treatments or interventions for a physical or mental health problem that you do NOT wish to have?
Do you have any treatment preferences? What is your current treatment plan including any complementary medicine that you find useful?
List your hospital consultants or any other health care professionals and their contact addresses together with frequency of check ups (e.g. physiotherapist, chiropodist, community psychiatric nurse, social worker).