April 16 Is National Healthcare Decisions Day

Last Updated: 4/1/2008

Do you want to be kept alive by extraordinary means? If you were in a persistent vegetative state, would you still want life-sustaining treatment? Your loved ones need to know answers to these and other questions should you become unable to communicate your wishes yourself.

To encourage more Americans to communicate and document their health care decisions, a broad group of organizations have declared April 16, 2008, as National Healthcare Decisions Day.

To learn more about the initiative and find resources to help you make, discuss and document future health care wishes and decisions, go to the National Healthcare Decisions Day Web site at: http://www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org/Welcome.htm

The site points out that fewer than one-third of Americans have a living will, which is one important component of advance health care planning. Another important component is a health care proxy (also known as a health care power of attorney), where you select someone to speak for you regarding health care decisions if you cannot do so yourself.

For more on medical directives, click here.