An Advance Directive is a statement that spells out how much or how little medical intervention a person desires at the end of life.

A Medical Power of Attorney gives a person or persons of the patient's choosing, the right to make decisions concerning medical care and treatment should a patient become unable to do so for themselves.

With Advance Directives and Medical Power of Attorney in place, patients insure they will receive the treatment they want, and they save their loved ones from the anguish of second-guessing or acting without clarity.

Advance directives do not expire. An advance directive remains in effect until you change it. If you complete a new advance directive, it invalidates the previous one.

You should review your advance directives periodically to ensure that they still reflect your wishes. If you want to change anything in an advance directive once you have completed it, you should complete a whole new document.

Download advance directives for states with TNPHA members

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