Advance directives let you speak for yourself when you aren’t able to

It’s a hard scenario to envision, but it’s something everyone should think about. What type of care and medical treatment do you want if you become unable to make decisions for yourself?

A car crash or a sudden illness could leave you incapacitated and unable to speak.

The best thing to do is to plan ahead, said Susan Lyons, nurse practitioner and supervisor of supportive and palliative care at Meritus Medical Center.

April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day, a day to make, discuss and legally document future healthcare wishes and decisions in your advance care planning, also known as advance directives.

This year, Meritus has set a goal of getting 250 new advance directives filed by Wednesday.

“Meritus Health offers guidance and documents to help with this planning, and this is available to you at no charge,” Lyons said.

Advance directive forms are broken into two sections.

The first part allows you to designate a person to be your medical decision maker.

“It’s called a healthcare agent, but you also might have heard it called a ‘medical proxy’ or a ‘medical power of attorney,’” Lyons said. “But it’s all the same thing.”

She advises you select someone who understands your values, stays calm in crisis situations and speaks up to ask difficult questions.

The second part is called a living will.

“It speaks for you when you can’t speak for yourself,” Lyons said, “if you’re ever in a serious medical condition and the doctors think it is not survivable.”

The document allows you to say what you value at the end of your life.

“The living will allows you to tell us what your wishes are about certain mechanical or artificial means of support,” Lyons said. “A lot of people have really strong feelings about things like breathing machines and feeding tubes. And we're obligated to honor your wishes.”

A living will also allows you to dictate whether you stay in a hospital or return to your home.

Either decision will mean a particular medical team to care for you. While returning home might remove unwanted and lengthy hospital stays, it could also mean support from a home hospice agency and round-the-clock supervision by family or friends.

“It’s important to discuss these things with your loved ones,” Lyons said. “They’re not always easy decisions to make, but they do matter.”

An advance directive becomes legally valid when you sign the document. However, it typically goes into effect when the doctor in charge of your care decides that you have lost the ability to make informed decisions about your health care.

In Maryland, the document must be witnessed by two individuals, but it does not require a notarized signature or the involvement of an attorney.

After completing the advance directive, give a signed copy to your family and friends who will be involved in your care, your health care agent and your primary care provider.

To learn more about advance directives or to find related documents, visit www.meritushealth.com/AdvanceDirectives.