#>LiVeWell Senior's Health A NEWSLETTER WITH IMPORTANT HEALTH INFORMATION FOR SENIORS Where to learn more... Talk to your doctor, nurse, healthcare provider Toll-free call 1-800-442-4845 Visit this website: www.intermountainhe althcare.org/ advancedplanning May 2014 Advanced Care Planning The following information is taken from the patient education booklet provided by Intermountain Healthcare and can be accessed at intermountainhealthcare.org. You have the right to make your own decisions about your health care. But there may come a time when illness or injury prevents you from making or communicating these decisions. Advanced Care Planning can be deeply comforting and valuable to you and your loved ones. A Utah Health Care Directive is a valuable legal document that allows you to articulate what it means to live-and-die on your own terms. Advanced planning will help clarify the role of who best would carry out your wishes about your health care (healthcare agent) if you were unable to make health care decisions for yourself. Talk to as many people as you feel comfortable with about your health care wishes but realize that if you're in the hospital at some point it is best for medical staff to have one person as your healthcare agent they can go to for decisions. A good healthcare agent is at least 18 years old and lives close by or would travel to be with you. Your healthcare agent should know you well and understand your desires, beliefs, and attitudes. A Utah Advance Health Care Directive does not become active unless the patient is unable to make or communicate decisions. Until that time comes, a patient will be consulted to make all of his or her own health care decisions. Remember that you can change or revoke your directive at any time. A national study found that patients who actually talked to their families about end-of-life care had a much greater understanding and comfort level about their own j^l personal end of life choices. Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital