Advance Directives
You have the right to decide what medical treatments you will accept and what you will refuse. You can make this clear with an advance directive, in compliance with Alabama law. This document will specify your wishes, so your family members don’t have to make difficult medical decisions on your behalf.
What is an Advance Directive?
It is your right to make important legal decisions related to your care. An advance directive is a document that your fill out (before you need hospitalization) that specifies what kind of medical care you want if you are too sick or hurt to talk or make decisions for yourself. If you do not have this document, certain members of your family will have to make decisions about your care.
If you have an advance directive, your doctors and care team, who work within Brookwood Baptist Health, will have clear directions regarding what medical treatment you want.
There are three types of Advance Directives for Health Care recognized under Alabama law: a living will, a proxy designation (naming who you want to make decisions for you) and a durable power of attorney for healthcare.
A Living Will
A living will generally states the type of medical care you want or do not want if you become unable to make your own decisions. It is called a “living” will because it takes effect while you are still living.
Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare
A durable power of attorney for healthcare form is a signed, dated and witnessed document naming another person such as a husband, wife, son, daughter or close friend as your agent to make medical decisions for you if you become unable to make them yourself.
Download Form for Medical Power of Attorney
