Advance directives keep one in charge of health-care decisions

Buying a new car or house? Making travel plans? Selecting a new paint color for the living room? These are personal choices that Texans make on a daily basis. But what about decisions relating to the health care to be received by those unable to communicate their wishes?

For those who haven't done so, now is the time to answer two key questions:

• What type of treatment do you want in a case where you're incapacitated and unable to direct your own care?

• Who do you want to make those calls on your behalf?

Many Texans already have considered these issues and shared their decisions with family, friends, physicians or clergy. For those who haven't, the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services has a few basic points to consider:

An advance directive is a legal document, such as a medical power of attorney or living will, stating one's wishes about their medical treatment. These documents allow a person to direct, in advance, what type of medical treatment they want to receive and to designate other individuals to make those decisions when they can't.

Those who haven't made their wishes known through an advance directive could have decisions made by a family member, a physician or judge, and those wishes may not reflect one's actual desires.

A living will allows one to issue instructions about medical treatment in the case of terminal or irreversible illness or inability to communicate. The document can include one's wishes concerning resuscitation, dialysis, withholding fluids or food, artificial hydration and nutrition, as well as organ and tissue donation.

A medical power of attorney lets one appoint a trusted person to make medical decisions on one's behalf if they are not competent. While it is not necessary to have an attorney help prepare an advance directive, an attorney may be consulted if there are any special concerns.

Once the decision is made to complete an advance directive, the next step is to decide who will be the health-care agent or decisionmaker.

A health-care agent can be any trusted person who will honor one's wishes. It does not have to be a family member, but can be a close friend or business associate. It is important to remember when making the selection to be sure this person is willing to ask the health-care provider questions to obtain information to make necessary decisions.

To help make decisions about completing an advance directive, consider the following:

-- obtain the appropriate document (living will or medical power of attorney) and review the contents. Documents are available from medical facilities, doctors, health-care organizations or online from the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services at www.dads.state.tx.us.

-- discuss one's beliefs and wishes with physicians, family members and friends. Select a health-care agent and discuss the decisions they are being asked to make in the event it becomes necessary.

-- complete the documents and provide copies to your physician, family members and health-care agent.