The two basic advance directives are Living wills and durable power of attorney for health care. A living will expresses in advance of death a person’s instructions about future medical treatments, especially end-of-life-care in the event the individual loses the capacity to make health care decisions. A durable power of attorney for health care appoints a person (called health care agent or proxy, health care representative) to make decisions for the person in the event of incapacity to make their own health care decisions. When a person is in the final stages of life advance directives help guide in specific direction on how, who and when to treat that individual in the final days and hours of life. Advance directives are the wishes …show more content…
Advance directives covers many different areas from dialysis, ventilation, feeding tubes and organ and tissue transplants as well as what medication to give or not give. For example if a patient has lung cancer and is in stage four they may not want chemo or radiation and their wish could be to pass as dignified as possible. It is in the advance directive that this patient will state their wish and it is up to the caregiver to abide by their …show more content…
If an advance directive does not exist then someone who does not know the wishes of the individual could choose what health care decisions they think is right and this could totally be opposite of the patient wishes. Many people believe that death is preferred then being dependent on medical equipment or having no hope of returning to a certain way of life. Others feel strongly that extreme measures and technology should be used to extend life in hope of a cure. Everyone has different wishes and each individual situation is unique and complex. No matter what direction an individual goes in it is still required that the health care provider provide comfort measures as needed for the person’s