After Signing Your Advance Directive: Essential Next Steps
Advance planning for health care is always a work in progress. That’s because circumstances change and lives change. One’s values and priorities even change. As a sage remarked, “The world looks different when you’re horizontal rather than vertical.” To ensure your wishes are honored, it’s essential to keep your advance directive up to date and properly shared with key individuals.
What To Do With Your Advance Directive
Store the original safely (but accessibly). Keep your signed advance directive, along with any supporting notes or worksheets, in a place where loved ones can easily locate it.
Provide a copy to your health care proxy. Ensure they understand your wishes and know where the original is stored. Include any worksheets or notes.
Give a copy to your doctor. Confirm that it’s added to your medical record and discuss your preferences to make sure your physician supports them. If they have reservations, consider addressing their concerns or finding a new provider.
Carry a wallet card. Many advance directive forms include a condensed version for emergencies—keep one with you.
Bring a copy when admitted to a facility. If you’re hospitalized or entering a nursing home, submit a copy and verify it’s included in your records.
Consider electronic registration. Some organizations offer to register advance directives electronically and enable health care institutions to access them electronically. Some churches and synagogues keep advance directives on file for members. You may wish to consider such a service.
If You Don’t Want Emergency CPR
After completing your Advance Directive, you may have to take one more step if you want to avoid CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) or other life support when an ambulance (911) is called.
Some people with serious and irreversible conditions do not want an emergency medical team to give them CPR if their heart stops. If this is your wish, ask how to get a DNR Order (Do-Not-Resuscitate Order) that will be respected outside of hospitals. These are also called Out-of-Hospital DNR Orders, Comfort-Care-Only Orders, or by other similar names. You will get a special identifying bracelet or document that must be visible if you have a medical crisis. If the emergency medical team sees the proper bracelet or document upon arrival, you can expect to receive all necessary comfort care—but not life support. By: ABA Commission on Law and Aging
What to do If Your Wishes Change
Make a new advance directive if your old one no longer reflects your wishes. Ask about the proper way to cancel or amend your existing directive in your state. If you change your advance directive, it is important to notify everyone who has copies of your old medical directive forms.
