An advance health care directive is an important aspect of end-of-life planning. There are many factors to consider when drafting your directive. Here are some tips to help ensure that your directive covers the most important factors so that your wishes are known and followed. 

Designate Someone to Make Decisions

An important part of an advance health care directive is selecting someone to make health care decisions on your behalf in case you are unable to. The person is usually a family member, doctor, or close friend. Depending on the state in which you live, there might be restrictions against listing your doctor as the decision maker. 

When determining who should be the person responsible for making health care-related decisions, you need to consider several factors. For instance, are you confident the person will follow your wishes? You also need to consider whether or not your family would support the decisions made by your appointee. If a family member is unwilling to support those decisions, your appointee could end up in court fighting for the right to follow your wishes. 

Research Treatment Options Available

Assuming that the appointee is only necessary in situations in which you are unable to make your own health care-related decisions, it is important that you know exactly what treatments are available in certain situations so that you can make your wishes known. For instance, you need to understand what treatments are possible if you are in a coma with limited brain function. Do you want to have a feeding tube or be administered other life-sustaining medications to keep you alive?

Include Details Concerning Hospice Care

How your final days are handled is important. Your directive needs to include information regarding your end-of-life treatment. If you want to be placed in hospice care, provided by a company like Orchard Hill at Sudbury Assisted Living Community, you need to designate when and where. For instance, if you in the final stages of cancer, you can note that once your condition reaches a certain level, you want to be placed in hospice care. You can state whether you want to receive care in a facility or at home. 

End-of-life planning can be an emotional experience for some people. Unfortunately, failing to take care of it can leave you without any say-so in how you are medically treated in your final days. With the directive in place, you have a legal document, which ensures that your wishes are known and followed.