ADVANCE DIRECTIVES
Advance Directives are legal documents allowing an individual to plan for their future medical care, particularly when they are unable to make his or her own decisions. These documents (i.e., Living Will, Healthcare Proxy, and DNR) allow an individual to articulate their preference for care, in the event they become unable to communicate such direction in the future, when faced with a terminal and/or life-threatening illness.
Advance Directives recognize the individual’s right of decision-making in planning their own end-of-life care. It is important to note that individuals always reserves the right to change or alter their written directions, as long as they are capable to communicating with family and/or healthcare providers. It is only in the absence of such an ability to communicate their preferences that healthcare professionals follow the patient’s Advance Directives for care.
Living Will: Enables an individual to provide instruction about the kind of medical care they wish to receive if they become incapacitated or otherwise unable to participate in their own treatment decisions. A Living Will can be drafted to express their ideas regarding the types of treatment an individual would and/or would not want, and can be written to cover a variety of contingencies.
Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare: Allows one individual to name another individual to speak for them, if and only if they are incapable of speaking for themselves, when medical decision-making is required. The person identified with Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, sometimes called a Healthcare proxy or surrogate, is expected to act in accordance with the patient’s wishes as stated in any other written and/or unwritten Advance Directive he or she has communicated about their care.
Individuals are encouraged to discuss their Advance Directives with family members, their healthcare proxy, their healthcare provider(s) and legal counsel, as well as to update their Advance Directives from time to time in order to ensure their preferences are understood and workable.
For your convenience, feel free to download Louisiana's state-specific Advance Directives documents and instructions (in PDF format).
Living Will
Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare
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