Information Regarding Advance Directive
Information Regarding Advance Directives
Advance directives are legal documents that allow you to convey your decisions about end-of-life care ahead of time. They provide a way for you to communicate your wishes to family, friends and health care professionals, and to avoid confusion later on.
A living will tells how you feel about care intended to sustain life. You can accept or refuse medical care. There are many issues to address, including but not limited to:
- The use of life sustaining machinery (Ventilators, Dialysis)
- Whether or not you want to be resuscitated if breathing or heartbeat stops
- Tube feeding and other life sustaining processes
- Organ or tissue donation
A durable power of attorney for health care is a document that names your health care proxy. Your proxy is someone you trust to make health decisions if you are unable to do so.
While all of these documents play a very important role as to how healthcare decisions are made on your behalf, it is the policy of Boca Raton Outpatient Surgery & Laser Center that during your episode of care at the facility, if an adverse event occurs, based on reasons of conscience, all reasonable efforts will be taken to revive you, including resuscitation, stabilization and transfer to the hospital as appropriate, regardless of the contents of any advance directive, living will, healthcare proxy or instructions from a healthcare agent.
If you have an Advance Directive, you may bring it with you and we will place a copy in your medical record for reference in the unlikely event you are transferred to the hospital.
If you do not have an Advance Directive and would like more information, you may go to the following websites, www.doh.state.fl.us or www.MyFlorida.com, or you may contact our office at 561-362-4400 and we will be happy to provide it for you.