Advance directives for hospice care
The final stages of a terminal illness can be an emotionally charged time for patients and their loved ones. Hospice care is a program designed for those who have a terminal illness with six months or less to live. Rather than trying to cure a disease hospice, aims to ease the physical, emotional and spiritual pain of terminally ill patients and promote quality of life. Families that are facing end-of-life decisions are not always ready or willing to do so. However, advance hospice care planning can ensure that end-of-life care wishes are honored as well as minimize the burden of difficult decision making for surviving loved ones.
Advance directives in New York
Advance directives are legal documents that ensure end-of-life care wishes are honored if you were unable to communicate them for yourself. Completing advance directives provides you reassurance knowing that that your wishes will be carried out by the people you choose. The following are four advanced directives for healthcare in New York:
A Living Will lists the types of healthcare you would or would not want to receive when you are unable to make decisions for yourself.
A Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR) tells health care providers and emergency workers not to revive a patient if their heart or breathing stops.
A Healthcare Proxy lets you name someone to act as your agent for health care decisions when you are unable to make decisions for yourself.
Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatments (MOLST) allows you to clarify your wishes about life-sustaining treatments you would or would not want to receive.
With advance hospice care planning, should you become unable to communicate, the established healthcare directives ensure that the type of care you want to receive is carried out with dignity and respect.