Advance Directives
The Advance Directives packet we use at ACVNAHHS includes the Medical Power of Attorney, the Living Will, and a donor registry form. It also includes information about the Do Not Resuscitate Law (DNR) and anatomical gifts. The Social Workers with ACVNA & Hospice provide assistance for patients wanting to complete the Medical Power of Attorney and the Living Will.
The Medical Power of Attorney is a document that allows a person to pick one to three people to make medical decisions for them in the event they are unable to do so for themselves as the result of an illness, accident or other incapacitating event. The Living Will is a statement of the person's desire to die naturally, without the assistance of "machines" to keep them alive (life support).
The Social Workers, well versed in the details of the Advance Directives, often answer questions from both patients and their family members. It is their role to clarify the meaning of the documents and to assuage fears that the patient will just be left to die without care if they have these documents in place. In actuality, everything will be done to make the patient as comfortable as possible, and to alleviate their pain.
The Medical Power of Attorney and Living Will allow people to make their own end of life decisions. This also relieves the family members, who often have difficulty making these decisions for their loved ones.
If you have questions about Advance Directives, you may contact Kate Oches, Social Worker for VNA or Tammy Hawk, Social Worker for Hospice at (740)-594-8226 or (800) 837-1112 if you are outside of Athens County.
Download or view our Advance Directives packet. (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the newsletter.)