Some advice on advance directives

Key forms, along with a lot of guidance on end-of-life planning, is available in a brochure, "Deciding What’s Next," published by the University of Hawaii Elder Law Program. It’s available online (

www.hawaii.edu/ uhelp/Files/DecidingWhatsNext_2011.pdf

). For a preprinted version, county elderly affairs offices should have them (on Oahu: 768-7700).

A copy of the Physician’s Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Form is available from Kokua Mau, a Hawaii organization for hospice and palliative care. Find it online at kokuamau.org, or call 585-9977 (toll free: 1-800-474-2113).

Here is some general advice about advance directives from the UH Elder Law Program (http://www.hawaii.edu/uhelp/ healthcare.htm):

» Talk with family members, friends, spiritual advisers, physicians, other health-care providers and other trusted persons about what would be important to you if you become terminally or irreversibly ill or injured and you can no longer communicate your health-care decisions or other wishes.

» Ask someone you trust and whom you can count on to be your health care agent and discuss your wishes with this person. Select an alternate health-care agent in case your agent is unable to serve.

» If you’re using a standardized form, feel free to change or cross out provisions or make an entirely different document. Add pages if you like.

» Have two qualified witnesses or a notary witness your signature. Inform family members, spouse, parents, children, siblings, friends, physicians and other health-care providers that you have executed an advance health care directive and that you expect them to honor your instructions. Keep them informed about your current wishes.

» Give copies of the document to your health care agent, health care providers, family, close friends, clergy or any other individuals who might be involved in caring for you.

» Place the executed document in your medical files.

» When you renew your driver’s license or state ID, you may designate that you have an advance health care directive by putting the notation AHCD on it.

» Make plans to review the document on a regular basis —make a new document, if necessary, and keep people informed of any changes.

» Do it as soon as possible, or if you cannot, ask your doctor about designating a surrogate.