Naturally gluten-free foods
Harvard study: Healthier fats linked to longer life after prostate cancer diagnosis
Shingrix shingles vaccine linked with lower heart disease risks
Estrogen-only hormone therapy tied to lower dementia risk
Should you have a hysterectomy?
Stair climbing may significantly lower cardiovascular risks
Why do I sweat so much?
Walking pneumonia: The "mild" illness that can still pack a punch
What causes knee pain: How doctors make a diagnosis
Where you carry excess weight matters in predicting heart disease risk
Advance Directives Forms
You may be in robust health today. An emergency such as a car accident or a stroke could change that in a heartbeat, as could the diagnosis of a severe, life-threatening illness. Aging can also change your health landscape. If you haven't prepared advance directives or chosen a health care proxy, medical choices could be left to worried relatives or to a doctor or guardian appointed by a judge, none of whom may have a clear understanding of your values, beliefs, and preferences.
Advance Care Planning: A guide to advance directives, living wills, and other strategies for communicating health care preferences, helps guide you through the process of establishing advance directives and appointing a health care proxy.
Here are four key forms that can assist you are a Health Care Power of Attorney, a Health Decisions Worksheet, a Generic Living Will, a Sample POLST form, and an Advance Directives Tracking Sheet.
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
Naturally gluten-free foods
Harvard study: Healthier fats linked to longer life after prostate cancer diagnosis
Shingrix shingles vaccine linked with lower heart disease risks
Estrogen-only hormone therapy tied to lower dementia risk
Should you have a hysterectomy?
Stair climbing may significantly lower cardiovascular risks
Why do I sweat so much?
Walking pneumonia: The "mild" illness that can still pack a punch
What causes knee pain: How doctors make a diagnosis
Where you carry excess weight matters in predicting heart disease risk
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