One of the most important decisions you can make about your care is to fill out advance directives in case you can no longer speak for yourself. Advance directives are documents that let others know your wishes about the type of care you want. And they will only be used if you become unconscious or too ill to communicate yourself.
Different states have different laws about advance directives. Directives can include:
Living Will
This set of instructions explains the type of life-prolonging medical care you wish to accept or refuse. It can include your wishes about the use of resuscitation (CPR) if your heart stops, a ventilator if you stop breathing, or feeding tubes or IVs if you cannot eat or drink.
For the Living Will Declaration Form in English, follow this link to the Illinois Department of Public Health website.
For the Living Will Declaration form in Spanish, follow this link to the Illinois Department of Public Health website.
Durable Power of Attorney
For healthcare: This is a legal document that names your healthcare proxy — someone who can make medical decisions for you if you’re unable to do so. An official healthcare proxy can represent your wishes on emergency care but also on other medical issues like potential treatment options, blood transfusions, kidney dialysis, etc. Choose someone you trust, discuss your medical wishes and make sure the person agrees to represent you in this role.
For the Power of Attorney for Health Care form in English, follow this link to the Illinois Department of Public Health website.
For the Power of Attorney for Health Care form in Spanish, follow this link to the Illinois Department of Public Health website.
For finances: You also have the right to appoint someone or the same person to help manage your finances if you cannot.