Your Choices- Your Life You ve Got the Power! Advance Directives for Health Care
Choices You Make Everyday What are some choices you make for yourself everyday? March 15, 2010 2
Choices You Make Everyday Why is it important to make your own choices? March 15, 2010 3
Telling People About Your Choices Have you told your family about an important choice you want to make? What do you do when you disagree? March 15, 2010 4
Difficult Choices Is it difficult to make choices at these times? When you are sick In the hospital Have an accident Are unconscious March 15, 2010 5
Advance Directives for Health Care A way to make choices for yourself about health care and treatment ahead of time Everything you want is written down March 15, 2010 6
Advance Directives for Health Care Everyone needs to follow your decisions, even if you can t tell them at the time what you want March 15, 2010 7
Advance Directives for Health Care Four parts: 1. Health Care Agent 2.Treatment Preferences 3.Guardianship 4.Effectiveness and Signatures March 15, 2010 8
Advance Directives for Health Care There are many different forms you can use Make sure what requirements you need for your form to be effective in your state It lists those things on the form March 15, 2010 9
Advance Directives for Health Care Illinois forms: Living Will Power of Attorney for Health Care Mental Health Treatment Declaration DNR order- advance directive for giving CPR March 15, 2010 10
Advance Directives for Health Care Tia discusses her advanced directive March 15, 2010 11
You Have the Right To: 1. Make changes at any time 2. Rip up or state you no longer want the form to be used; write it down 3. Do a completely new form March 15, 2010 12
Health Care Agent You choose someone to make decisions for you when you cannot or do not want to make health care decisions for yourself March 15, 2010 13
Health Care Agent The person you choose can also make decisions for you after your death- such as choosing organ donation March 15, 2010 14
People I Trust to Advocate for Me (Health Care Agent) People I Trust to Take Care of Me (If I needed more supports) Friends I Can Talk to About How I Feel Family I want Involved March 15, 2010 15
Health Care Agent Before you choose this person, talk to them about this important role and how they feel about being your agent March 15, 2010 16
Treatment Preferences This part lets you choose how you want to be treated if you have a terminal illness and/or you cannot communicate March 15, 2010 17
Treatment Preferences This part only becomes effective if you can t communicate your wishes March 15, 2010 18
Guardianship This part lets you choose a person to be your guardian if you ever need one March 15, 2010 19
The Guardian This person could be the same person you selected to be your health care agent or someone different. March 15, 2010 20
If You Already Have a Guardian You can still do a Do-Not- Resuscitate (DNR) and/or Living Will Directive If your guardian signs the form with you March 15, 2010 21
If You Already Have a Guardian You cannot have a Power of Attorney if you already have a guardian March 15, 2010 22
If You Already Have a Guardian But, if you have a Power of Attorney in place before you get a guardian you may be able to keep the Power of Attorney for health care decisions March 15, 2010 23
Effectiveness & Signatures This part requires your signature and the signature of two witnesses This part must be filled out so the form can be effective March 15, 2010 24
Contact Us Tia Nelis, UIC Department of Disability and Human Development; Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities Tel: 312-413-1284; E-mail: tianelis@uic.edu Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities Website: http://www.rrtcadd.org Stacy Yusim, Equip for Equality Tel: 800-537-2632; TTY: 800-610-2779; E-mail: stacy@equipforequality.org; Website: www.equipforequality.org National Disability Resource Network (NDRN) E-mail: info@ndrn.org; Website: http://ndrn.org; Phone: (202)-408-9514; Fax : (202)- 408-9520; TTY: (202)- 408-9521 March 15, 2010 25