Advance Directives are legal documents directing your wishes and goals of care. These documents direct what kind of medical care you want and allow you to express your desires related to end-of-life care. In addition, these documents allow you to determine who you would like to be involved in this process. This involves learning and developing the decisions that might need to be made, and letting your loved ones and your providers know of your decisions. Advanced Directives documents include:
Advance Directives are legal documents directing your wishes and goals of care. These documents direct what kind of medical care you want and desire related to end-of-life care. In addition, these documents allow you to determine who you would like to be involved in this process. This involves learning and developing the decisions that might need to be made and letting your loved ones and your providers know of your decisions. Advanced Directives documents include:
Living Will: A living will is a written document authorizing health care providers to withhold or withdraw life sustaining procedures in certain cases. A life-sustaining procedure is any medical procedure, treatment or intervention which utilizes mechanical or artificial means to sustain, restore, or supplant a spontaneous vital function, and which serves only to prolong the dying process.
Durable Health Care Power of Attorney: A durable health care power of attorney is a legal document authorizing a person to be your agent to make decisions about your health care if you are not able to make decisions for yourself. "Health care" includes treatment, service or procedures to maintain, diagnose or treat your physical or mental condition. Your health care agent can consent to, refuse to consent to, or withdraw consent for health care decisions.
IPOST (Iowa Physicians Order for Scope of Treatment)
- An IPOST turns health care choices into medical orders, such as:
- Resuscitation—CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) or DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)
-Scope of treatment—Comfort measures only, limited additional interventions, full treatment
- Artificial treatment—feeding tube
- The IPOST form is a medical order. It is meant for:
- The frail and elderly
- Adults and children with serious or terminal illnesses
- Adults and children with chronic, critical medical conditions
Talk with your health care provider about:
- What is important to you
- Your goals of care
- What medical care and treatment you want now, in a medical crisis, or if your health gets worse or gets better.
For questions or for additional information, contact Loring’s social worker, LeAnn Olhausen, at 712.662.6406 or lolhausen@loringhosp.org.