Advance directives are written instructions about future medical care if/when you become unable to make decisions for yourself (for example if you are unconscious or too ill to communicate). These are also called healthcare directives.

Ensure you have the paper documents available for family/friends to have access to if needed. Also, you should ensure your medical providers are aware of your advance directives.

Different Types of Advance Directives:

Living Will: Describes and instructs how you want end-of-life health care managed.  A Living Will takes effect if you are terminally ill. Your living will set forth your wishes on topics such as resuscitation, desired quality of life, and end of life treatments including treatments you don’t want to receive. This document is primarily between you and your doctor, and it advises them how to approach your treatment.

Durable Powers of Attorney: there are two types of durable powers of attorney:

1. Power of Attorney for Healthcare: A durable power of attorney for healthcare is given to the person you want to make medical decisions for you in an emergency or if you become incapacitated. A Doctor must confirm you are unable to make decisions. Even though you set out your wishes in your living will, such documents can never cover every circumstance, and the person who has a durable power of attorney for healthcare can make decisions not covered by your living will.Keep in mind that the person with a durable power of attorney for healthcare can never contradict the terms of your living will. Rather, that person is there to fill in gaps, for situations not covered by your living will, or in case your living will is invalidated for any reason.
2. Power of Attorney for Finances: Gives a designated your person the authority to make legal/financial decisions on your behalf.

Code Status: informs healthcare staff what immediate measures you want in the event of a cardiac or respiratory arrest. This means if you stop breathing or if your heart stops beating:

1. Full Measures– a person receives all resuscitative, life-sustaining and/or life support measures. Full cardiopulmonary resuscitation will be provided including chest compressions if your heart stops and a breathing tube if you stop breathing.
2. DNR: Do NOT Resuscitate in the event of an arrest. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation will NOT be given.
3. DNI: Do NOT intubate: A DNI order is a legal document that instructs medical professionals not to intubate you in the event of a life-threatening situation. A DNI order allows for chest compressions and cardiac drugs to be used, but no breathing tube will be placed. DNI orders are often chosen by people with a terminal or life-threatening illness. They are similar to Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders, but DNI orders specify that only chest compressions or cardiac drugs may be used to resuscitate.
4. DNH (Do Not Hospitalize): is a medical directive that prevents or limits a person from being hospitalized. There are two types of DNH orders:
   • Absolute prohibition: This type of DNH order completely prohibits hospitalization under any circumstances.
   • General recommendation: This type of DNH order recommends avoiding hospitalization but allows a health care proxy to make the decision on a case-by-case basis.