Advance directive planning

Make your wishes known

When you become ill, you have a right to choose what treatment you receive, even if you can no longer decide or speak for yourself. Advance care planning helps you make sure these wishes are known.

What is advance care planning?

Advance care planning is an ongoing process to help you plan for your future. It’s also a conversation you’ll want to revisit throughout your life to re-assess your priorities, needs and goals when it comes to care.

While advance care planning is a personal process, it’s important to talk to your loved ones about your wishes. You may also wish to get help from an advance care planning professional who can help you ask the right questions and make sure you understand all your options. But however you choose to plan your care, it’s important to put your wishes in writing by creating an advance directive

What is an advance directive?

An advance directive is a written document you create to record your wishes and preferences when it comes to your health care. Your completed advance directive lets your family and health care providers know:

• What treatment you want (and don’t want)
• Who should make care decisions when you can’t
• How comfortable you want to be
• How you want people to treat you
• What you want your loved ones to know

It also makes sure that everyone is clear about your wishes in the event that you are unable to tell them yourself.

Resources

In Illinois, there are several legal advance directives documents available. Some of the forms you may download here include:

• Power of attorney for health care [PDF]
• Living will [PDF]
• Declaration for mental health treatment [PDF]

Other useful resources include:

1. Prepare for your care
   This site guides you through what you’ll need to think about as you plan for your future medical care. Your resulting document can serve as an informal statement of your values, preferences and questions and, if you add sufficient detail, a Power of Attorney for Health Care recognized as legal by the state of Illinois
2. A personal decision
   The Illinois State Medical Society offers resources for advance care planning, including a downloadable booklet describes the importance of advance care planning and provides all of the legal documents listed above.

Have questions about the advance care planning process? We can help. Contact your health care provider with your questions about the process or any of the forms above.

Emergency life-sustaining treatment wishes and orders

You may also want to consult with your health care providers to discuss additional decisions about potential life-sustaining treatments.

If appropriate, you and your provider may choose to complete a “Provider orders for life-sustaining treatment” form. This document is used to notify all health care providers, including paramedics and emergency rooms, of your treatment preferences in the event of an emergency. Ask your provider about this form during your next visit.