Be prepared for the unexpected: Advanced health care planning

By Erin Martinez, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Kansas State University
Guest Author 

Have you thought about the medical care you’d like to receive should you become unable to speak for yourself? Who would make medical decisions on your behalf? Are you prepared for the unexpected?

Advanced health care planning allows adults to state their health care preferences and identify someone to speak on their behalf should they become unable to do so for themselves. This means that you can be assured that your wishes are known and you will receive the type of care that you want. Every state has their own rules and legal documents, so you’ll need to seek out the specifics for your state. However, there are two common documents to know about:

1. Durable power of attorney for health care

A durable power of attorney for health care allows you to appoint an individual you trust to make medical decisions for you if you were to become temporarily or permanently incapable due to illness or injury. This isn’t the same as a financial or general durable power of attorney. In some states this document is called a “Medical Durable Power of Attorney” and the person you have identified may be called your “agent.”

Everyone has a right to decide what kind of medical treatment you do and don’t want. When you have a durable power of attorney for health care, you will have someone to advocate for you and ensure your wishes are honored. Even if you do not have specific wishes, your durable power of attorney for health care will ensure that someone you trust will make your medical decisions if you can’t do so. They must follow your written instructions.

2. Living will

A living will states your wishes to have certain types of care withheld or withdrawn in specific circumstances, such as if you are in a persistent vegetative state (brain dead) or have a terminal condition. In some states this means that if “life-sustaining procedures would only serve to prolong the dying process, I direct that such procedures be withheld or withdrawn and that I be permitted to die naturally with only the administration of medication or the performance of any medical procedure deemed necessary to provide me with comfort care.”

You can always add additional instructions to a living will, such as decisions about dialysis, surgery, antibiotics, tube feeding, and ventilators. You can also define what “meaningful quality of life” means to you. If you have any specific wishes, this is the place to express them. Of course, you will need to follow the exact legal requirements for your state.

How to complete the forms

These legal documents may seem overwhelming, but I promise, they’re not. You don’t need a lawyer and most states have fill-in-the-blank forms that can be easily completed. You will need to have two witnesses or have the document(s) notarized.

In the United States, less than one in three adults have advanced health care planning documents in place.

Do you have your documents completed? If you don’t, medical decisions may be made on your behalf that don’t align with your wishes. Remember, accidents happen when we least expect it, and these documents are for all adults over the age of 18. Be prepared. Doing so is often considered a gift by family members and friends faced with making decisions about your care.