What’s an Advance Healthcare Directive?
A legal document outlining an individual’s preferences for medical care that can include everything from life-sustaining treatment to pain management preferences
In Washington state, it typically consists of two components: a living will and a durable power of attorney for healthcare
Create a state-compliant, legally binding advance healthcare directive in minutes with Duckpins
You deserve to have your wishes honored — even if you find yourself in a situation where you’re unable to communicate what they are. An advance healthcare directive, also commonly referred to as a living will, outlines your preferences for various healthcare choices if you’re unable to make medical decisions for yourself.
An advance directive can state your preferred treatment options, like whether you want life-sustaining treatment, artificial nutrition and hydration, or organ donation. It can also include preferences for end-of-life care, like cozy blankets and allowing family and even pets to stay close when possible. This documentation can guide your healthcare provider and loved ones as they make healthcare decisions in the event that you are terminally ill, permanently unconscious, or otherwise unable to make your own medical decisions.
Creating an advance directive doesn’t just take care of you — it also takes care of the people you love most. Providing clear communication reduces the burden of guesswork from an already-stressful situation by helping your loved ones know they’re caring for you in a way that follows your wishes. Advanced planning is a responsible, loving act for all involved. While we all hope documents like these are never needed, we never fully know what the future holds — the best time to create a healthcare directive is now.
Make your wishes clear
What an Advance Healthcare Directive Can Cover
You can indicate whether or not you want life-sustaining treatments, including resuscitation (CPR), mechanical ventilation (a ventilator), artificial nutrition and hydration (often referred to as a feeding tube), dialysis, or life-prolonging antibiotics or antivirals.
You can indicate your wishes regarding many elements of mental healthcare, including medication preferences, conditions under which you would or wouldn’t want certain treatments like therapy or electroconvulsive therapy, your preferences for healthcare providers, and more.
You can specify your preferences for pain management (including opioid use), alternative therapies like acupuncture or massage, non-invasive comfort measures like warm blankets and oxygen, wishes for pastoral care or counseling, and whether you’d like to be cared for at home or in a hospice facility.
If you would like to donate your organs or tissue, you can include this in your advance healthcare directive. You can also stipulate which organs you’re willing to donate.
If conventional options are ineffective or unavailable, you can specify whether or not you would want to participate in experimental treatments or clinical trials.
What’s included in an advance healthcare directive can vary by state. In Washington state, an advance directive typically includes the healthcare directive, or living will, along with a durable power of attorney or healthcare proxy. The healthcare directive outlines your preferences for medical treatment while the healthcare power of attorney gives an individual the legal authority to act as your healthcare agent — in other words, it gives someone you trust the power to make medical decisions on your behalf, following your healthcare wishes.
Washington state requires that an advanced healthcare directive be signed and dated in the presence of two witnesses. The law stipulates that these two people not be involved in the document creator’s healthcare or be beneficiaries of their estate. When you create a healthcare directive through Duckpins, we make the process easy so you can rest assured that your documentation is legally compliant — and therefore effective.
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