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Advance Directive
GRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT

PERSONAL CHOICES:

ADVANCE DIRECTIVES

Name: Marilyn L Sails Professor Merita Thompson

Date: November 30, 2010 HEA 793 - Fall 2010

PERSONAL CHOICES: ADVANCE DIRECTIVES

The purpose of advance directives is so that you are making it your right to make decisions about your own medical care. This phrase applies to a wide range of instructions that one might make orally or written about actions that one would or would not want to be taken if one were somehow incapacitated and unable to join in making decisions (Corr et al, 2009). An advance directive is a topic that resonates strongly in my heart. Less than two weeks ago my husband and I had a family crisis and had to make some really difficult healthcare decisions regarding our family member. These decisions were less difficult for us because our loved one had previously given us power-of-attorney. So we knew her wishes prior to her illness and were able to make the correct decisions as a family. Unfortunately, most families don't realize the importance of this legal document until an emergency occurs.

Authors of _Death & Dying, Life & Living_ identify six goals of death education. It is the third goal that will be the focus of my paper. According to Corr et al the third goal of death education is to prepare individuals for their public roles as citizens. In this way, death education helps to clarify important social issues that face society and its representatives, such as advance directives in health care (Corr et al, 2009). We each have the right and responsibility to make healthcare decisions for ourselves. There may be a time, whether from accident or illness, when you are no longer able to make important and necessary medical decisions. This is an opportunity for you to express your wishes and direct your healthcare decisions in advance before they may be needed.

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