COMBINED ADVANCE DIRECTIVE FOR HEALTH CARE and LIVING WILL

Sign a Living Will with COMBINED ADVANCE DIRECTIVE FOR HEALTH CARE now . In signing your Living Will, you will designate an individual you trust to act as your legally recognized health care representative to make health care decisions for you in the event you are unable to make decisions for yourself. You will provide instructions concerning your health care preferences and wishes to your health care representative and others who will be entrusted with responsibility for your care, such as your physician, family members and friends. All States have declared that competent adults have the fundamental right in collaboration with their health care providers, to control decisions about their own health care. States recognize in their law and public policy, the personal right of the individual patient to make voluntary, informed choices to accept, to reject or to choose among alternative courses of medical and surgical treatment. WHY LIVING WILLS AND ADVANCE DIRECTIVE Modern advances in science and medicine have made possible the prolongation of the lives of many seriously ill individuals, without always offering realistic prospects for improvement or cure. For some individuals the possibility of extended life is experienced as meaningful and of benefit. For others, artificial prolongation of life may seem to provide nothing medically necessary or beneficial, serving only to extend suffering and prolong the dying process. States recognize the inherent dignity and value of human life and within this context recognize the fundamental right of individuals to make health care decisions to have life-prolonging medical or surgical means or procedures provided, withheld, or withdrawn. States recognize the right of competent adults to plan ahead for health care decisions through the execution of advance directives, such as Living Wills and durable powers of attorney, and to have their wishes respected, subject to certain limitations. PURPOSE OF LIVING WILLS AND ADVANCE DIRECTIVE In order to assure respect for patients previously expressed wishes when the capacity to participate actively in decision making has been lost or impaired; to facilitate and encourage a sound decision making process in which patients, health care representatives, families, physicians, and other health care professionals are active participants; to properly consider patients interests both in self-determination and in well-being; and to provide necessary and appropriate safeguards concerning the termination of life-sustaining treatment for incompetent patients as the law and public policy of this State, the Legislatures have enacted Living Will/ Advance Directives for Health Care Acts. Source ABA’s book “Wills and Estate Administration” http://shop.americanbar.org/eBus/Stor... ADVANCE DIRECTIVE 1. Can my healthcare representative make decisions for me if I am still able to make my own decisions? Answer: No, your healthcare representative can only make decisions for you if your physician has evaluated you and determined that you are unable to understand your diagnosis, treatment options or the possible benefits and harms of the treatment options. 2. Can having an advance directive affect my life insurance, health insurance or the benefits I receive from a governmental benefits program? Answer: No. 3. Can my life insurance company, health insurance company, physician, hospital, nursing home or any other healthcare facility require me to have an advance directive? Answer: No. 4. Does New Jersey recognize an advance directive that is valid in another state? Answer: Yes. 5. What is the definition of "life-sustaining treatment"? Answer: Life sustaining treatment is any medical device or procedure that increases your life expectancy by restoring or taking over a vital bodily function. The medical device or procedure can be a drug, ventilator (breathing machine), surgery, therapy or artificially provided fluids and nutrition. 6. What is the definition of “permanently unconscious"? Answer: Permanently unconscious means you have permanently lost the ability to interact with your environment and are completely unaware of your surroundings. 7. What is the definition of "terminal condition"? Answer: Terminal condition means the final stage of a fatal illness, disease or condition. To be in a terminal condition you do not have to be diagnosed as having less than a certain amount of time to live (e.g., six months or less).