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You are entitled to live your final days as you choose. Talk to your family and doctors about your health care wishes. There may be come a time when you or your loved ones will have to make decisions for you. Advance Directives give you the opportunity now to make some decisions ahead of time in a legal document about your health and future.
An Advance Directive is a legal form you fill out and sign letting others know about your health care wishes. This can define the treatment that a patient is willing or not willing to have. You may change your mind at any time about your decisions for treatment, but you should let us know. The Advance Directives let your health care team know how you feel about:
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Being brought back to life if your breathing or heart stops
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Having a machine breathe for you
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Having a tube in your nose or your stomach so you can be fed if you are not longer able to eat
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Receiving donated blood
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Having a family member, or someone of your choosing, make decisions for you if you are not able to
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Donating body organs or tissue
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You have the right to do a declaration for mental health treatment to be used at the moment when you become incapable of giving and withholding informed consent for treatment.
Living Wills
As a mentally competent person, you have the right to be informed about your legal options for refusing or accepting medical care, if you become incapacitated. You have the right to complete a Natural Death Directive (Living Will) or a Durable Power-of-Attorney for health care. In addition, you may request “Do not Resuscitate” (DNR)" orders will be written if you are given a diagnosis of a terminal illness. If you have questions or need assistance, you may contact your social worker at the Medical Center.
Durable Power of Attorney
You can choose a family member or someone else of your choice to make decisions about your health care, if you are unable to make decisions for yourself. When this is put into writing it is called a "Durable Power of Attorney for your Health Care". This becomes part of your record for Advance Directives. This will let us know who is responsible for making decisions about your health care and how to contact them. Make sure this person knows what your wishes are. Should you not be able to make decisions for yourself, we may have to ask that person about life or death questions about your care.
Treatment Preference Form
Do you wish us to use donated blood for you? If you suffer brain damage or go into a coma, what are your wishes? When do you want life support machinery not to be used? This form, as part of the Advance Directives and medical records, will help your doctor to know what treatment you want to follow.
Mental Health Treatment Declaration
You have the right to inform in advance the mental health treatment that you would like to receive. This declaration could include medications, electroshock, admission and retention in any mental health facility.
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It should be someone you trust — a spouse, parent, adult child, friend, or other family member. Whoever it is, you should talk to them about your concerns and wishes and what kind of treatments you would want or not want. You and your proxy cannot know all of the questions that might arise in the future, so you'll want your proxy to know what you value most in life and how this reflects on the type of care you would choose for yourself.
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If you can no longer make decisions about your health care, your doctor will ask your next of kin, family, and friends what they believe you would want. These decisions are not easy to make. They can cause great stress in families that have not taken the time to discuss these matters ahead of time.
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At the VA Caribbean Healthcare System, our social workers are equipped to assist you in preparing advance directives. Just ask any of your providers to contact your team social worker.
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Our medical center has resources to help you write your advance directive. These include video programs on the VA Television Network or in the Patient Education Center. You can also ask for our medical center's advance directive policy and procedures.
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Yes, but only by you. You may change or cancel it at any time. You can do this by simply telling your doctor, but it is best to write a new advance directive. Be sure to tell your proxy and others concerned with your health care.
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An advance directive is only effective if it is shared with those who need to know. It must be part of your medical record. Make and give copies to the following parties —
- your doctor(s)
- your proxy
- anyone concerned with your health care
Don't forget to make a copy for your own records.
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