An Advance Directive is a written instruction that you make while you are mentally competent that states how you want your healthcare decisions to be made if you become incapacitated or cannot express your wishes. Advanced Directived guide your physician and other health care professionals and relieve your family and friends from the burden of guessing what types of care and treatment you would want to receive. Adele Hofschulte - All doctors and hospitals are required by law to honor advance directive documents. There are two forms of advanced directives. One is a Power of Attorney for health care and the other is a living will.
Some states combine the two documents.
In the state of Wisconsin each is a seperate document. Emergency personnel and paramedics are required by law to resuscitate persons not wearing a DNR bracelet. Persons eligiblr for DNR bracelets are terminal patients, frail elderly, persons who would suffer severe damage from the aggressive treatment and persons who only benefit very briefly. Each state is required by law to provide legal forms to enable persons to make an advanced directive. The forms can be acquired at any hospital or through the state medical society.