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Making Decisions About
Your Care in Advance
How to Plan for Your Care with Advance Directives
Why is planning for your care important?
People of all ages should make their medical wishes known with an advance directive. This includes planning for a time when you may need help or want someone to follow your instructions when you may not be able to make decisions for yourself. For example, if you have an accident or become seriously ill.
You can make decisions before something happens about the types of treatment you want to receive, like the use of a ventilator, artificial nutrition, resuscitation, and more. It is a gift you give yourself and your loved ones that can help avoid confusion and indecision and help you and others in your life know that the care you receive is exactly what you wanted.
What can you do to plan?
You can use legal documents, such as advance directives, to give instructions to doctors and others to know your wishes and plans regarding your health care. You can document your wishes and instructions by completing these forms.
- Talk to your doctor about your advance care plans.
- Name a health care representative, also known as a Health Care Proxy, Health Care Agent, or Medical Power of Attorney, to speak for you about your care and treatment.
- Leave clear written instructions through a Living Will or through Advanced Directives that explains your wishes.
Where to get the forms
You can find the Appointment of Health Care Representative and Living Will forms on Connecticut’s Official State website.
What to do with the forms
Completing these forms is easy. You don’t need to meet with a lawyer and you can update them as your wishes or medical situation changes. After you get a form:
- Make sure you complete and sign the forms.
- Determine if the form needs witnesses or a notary to make your wishes official.
- Share the signed form with your doctors, your chosen health care representative, family members, and/or friends as needed.
- Keep a copy for yourself, make sure the form is in your doctor’s medical record, and take it with you should you be hospitalized.
Last Update: 10/01/2024
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