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National Healthcare Decisions Day: Decide What's Important To You

Date: 04/11/18

Advance care planning is making a plan for your health in case you get very sick, and making sure that your plan is documented so your loved ones know exactly what you want. For National Healthcare Decisions Day on April 16, take some time to talk to your family about what your healthcare wishes are. Here’s how to start:

Decide What Is Important To You

There are many things you should consider as you make an advance care plan. Ask yourself:

  • Who do I want to make decisions about my health if I am not able to speak for myself?
  • What kind of care do I want, and where do I want to get that care?
  • What are my goals of care?

Making a plan for your health is an important process. Everyone has different beliefs and care preferences, and your plan should detail your own personal wishes.

Write Your Wishes Down

It is important to make sure your wishes are written down. This will keep your family from having to guess what you might want if there is an emergency or you get very sick. It also helps your doctors know what kind of treatment to give you.

In Louisiana, the most common types of advance care planning documents are:

  1. A Living Will: This tells your doctors what kind of care you want – or don’t want – if you can no longer speak for yourself. A living will is only used when you are near the end of life and there is no hope for you to recover.
  2. A Health Care Power of Attorney: This document names the person you want to make decisions about your health if you can no longer make them for yourself.
  3. A LaPOST Document: The Louisiana Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment, or LaPOST, document is used only if you who have a life-limiting illnesses to tell your doctors what kind of care you do and do not want. It is similar to a living will, except the LaPOST document is completed by you and your doctor, and it becomes part of your medical record.

Talk To Your Doctor

Your doctor can help you make decisions about your health and answer questions about advance care planning. You can also find information about advance care planning in your Louisiana Healthcare Connections Member Handbook.

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