Health Care Directives: Why They Matter Now More Than Ever

Planning in the Age of COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has made us all think about our health, values, and priorities. While we hope for the best, it’s wise to prepare for the worst. If you already have a medical or health care directive, now is the time to review and update it. If you don’t, it’s time to create one.

An advance medical directive ensures your wishes are followed if you can’t speak for yourself. It outlines your treatment preferences and names someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf. This document becomes essential if you face serious illness, such as COVID-19, or suffer an unexpected injury.

Types of Health Care Directives

The most common directives are:

• Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (Medical Power of Attorney) – Names a trusted person to make health decisions if you cannot.
• Living Will – States your medical treatment preferences in advance.

Less common directives include:

• Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)
• Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders

Each state has different requirements, so if you’ve moved, check that your directive matches your current state’s laws. Before drafting one, talk with your loved ones and health care provider. Choose someone you trust as your health care proxy or agent. Having this in place spares your family the stress of making difficult decisions in a crisis.

Dr. Susan Enguídanos of USC’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology calls an advance directive “the best gift a parent can give their children.”

Clearing Up Misconceptions

Many people hesitate to complete a health care directive because of two common myths:

1. Fear of losing control – In reality, you keep full control of your care until you can no longer make decisions. Only then does your proxy step in, ensuring your wishes are followed.
2. Fear of finality – Like a will, an advance directive can be updated anytime. For example, some added a COVID-19 addendum to address ventilator use and later removed it after vaccination.

How to Start the Conversation

Discussing end-of-life care can feel difficult, but COVID-19 provides an opportunity to start. The Conversation Projectoffers tools to help families talk about wishes for care. As Kate DeBartolo, the Project’s senior director, explains: “We can’t control how this pandemic will play out, but we can control who will speak for us if we can’t speak for ourselves.”

Additional resources include the End-of-Life Decision Guide Toolkit from Compassion and Choices, available in English and Spanish. This nonprofit also provides pandemic-specific guidance for planning.

Taking the Next Step

Once you’ve clarified your wishes:

• Work with an estate planning or elder law attorney to make sure your directive is legally sound.
• Provide a copy to your doctor.
• Share it with your loved ones or let them know where it’s stored.
• Keep an extra copy in a convenient place, such as your car’s glove box.

Doing this provides peace of mind for you and security for your family.

We’re Here to Help

We can help you draft a new health care directive or review one you already have. Let’s ensure your wishes are protected and clearly documented.

📞 Call us at (207) 848-5600 or visit our CONTACT page to schedule a conversation.