How to Communicate Your Health Care Decisions

Advance Directives

At Saint Mary’s we support patients’ rights to accept or refuse medical treatments. The best way to ensure that your choices concerning health care are understood and carried out, is to discuss your wishes with your family or persons who will be speaking on your behalf if you are determined unable to make decisions. If this is not an option, or if you are concerned that your wishes would not be carried out, there are two kinds of advance directive documents that help the health care team understand and follow a patient’s wishes in the event the patient can no longer speak for him or herself.

Two Types of Advance Directive Documents

The Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPOA) lets you appoint someone you trust to make medical decisions if you are either unconscious or for some reason unable to communicate your choices to your doctor or health care team. This form is accepted as a legal document in Michigan.

The Living Will is a document that lets you leave written instructions about the kinds of medical treatment you would or would not want to have. The Living Will only goes into effect when you are permanently unconscious or terminally ill and can no longer speak for yourself. Living Wills are used to make medical decisions only, not decisions about your money or property. If you decide to make a Living Will, we believe it is in your best interest to also complete a DPOA document so that someone will understand and have the legal authority to carry out your wishes.

Further information is available in our searchable health database. Click here.

Click here to request an Advance Directive form and brochure.