Advance Health Care Directive
An Advance Health Care Directive is a legally recognized document that allows a person to provide information to your family, friends and physician(s) about your health care preferences, including the types of special treatment you want or do not want at the end of your life. The advanced health care directive document is meant to be completed by anyone 18 years of age or older and it can be changed at any time, should one’s wishes change.
You can give specific instructions about any aspect of your health care. Along with documenting the type of care you wish to receive, you are also able to to appoint another person as your ‘health care power of attorney’ to make health care decisions for you if you are unable to make your own decisions. You can name an alternate agent in case your first choice is unwilling, unable or unavailable to make decisions for you.
POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment)
POLST is a form that states what kind of medical treatment patients want toward the end of their lives. Printed on bright pink paper, and signed by both a doctor and patient, POLST helps give seriously ill patients more control over their end-of-life care.
Changes to the California POLST Form were approved by the statewide POLST Task Force and the Emergency Medical Services Authority Commission. The new form went into effect on October 1, 2014. Previous versions of signed POLST forms remain valid. View Form on line.
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