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Resolve to Be Ready: Prepare Your Advance Directives

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) wore many hats, but a hard hat wasn't one of them. Even so, he well understood the vital necessity of planning.

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail," Franklin famously wrote in Poor Richard's Almanack. More than 250 years later, Franklin's wisdom is still timely and relevant.

September is National Preparedness Month. Created by FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency), the month-long observance encourages individuals and communities to make advance preparations for events that might pose a threat to your personal health and safety. For example, how will you and your family respond to a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, flood or wildfire? What will you do in the event of a biological or chemical threat, radiation leak, or terrorist attack?

National Preparedness Month is more than a time to stock up on batteries, blankets, and bottled water. Take stock of other important things that might need to be done during unfavorable conditions, such as making decisions about medical care if you are terminally ill or suffer a debilitating injury from an accident.

Everyday events can inflict casualties of their own, without warning. And sometimes, the tragedy isn't a sudden loss of life but a slow and painful deterioration of a person's quality of life. You can plan for either scenario by preparing advance directives.

When patients lose their ability to make their own medical decisions, they are more likely to receive care they don't want, don't need, or simply doesn't work. An advance directive preserves your right to do things your way.

An advance directive is a document that gives specific instructions to caregivers and family in the event of a terminal illness, catastrophic injury, or some other end-of-life situation. As well as sparing loved ones the stress of making decisions about your care, it can minimize your own pain and suffering and bring peace of mind at a difficult time.

A living will is one type of advance directive. It states your preferences regarding treatments such as resuscitation, feeding tubes, breathing machines, blood transfusions, dialysis, and medications.

A do-not-resuscitate order (DNR) is another directive to consider. It denies cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if your heart stops or if you stop breathing.

Perhaps the most important directive is a medical power of attorney, which designates someone to be your agent and make decisions on your behalf.

Any person 18 years of age or older can prepare an advance directive. You do not need a lawyer to create one. Our website features links to information and forms to help you prepare your advance directives.

It's a good idea to have your documents reviewed by a lawyer to they comply with the laws of your state. Copies of the signed documents should be given to family members, your doctor, and other caregivers. You may change or cancel advance directives at any time, as long as you are mentally capable of doing so.