Medical Care Decisions and Advanced Directives

Who Benefits from Home Health Care?

If you are 18 or older and mentally competent, you have the right to make decisions about your medical treatment. You should talk to your doctor or other health care provider about any treatment or procedure so that you understand what will be done and why. You have the right to say yes or no to treatments recommended by your doctor. If you want to control decisions about your health care even if you become unable to make or to express them yourself, you will need an Advance Directive.

What is an Advanced Directive?

An advance directive is a set of directions you give about the health care you want if you ever lose the ability to make decisions for yourself. North Carolina has two ways for you to make a formal advance directive. One is called a Living Will; the other is called a Health Care Power of Attorney.

If you want more information on either of these methods, your doctor or one of Tender Care’s RN Supervisors will be able to provide you with this information.