Advanced Directives & Living Wills

Ascend Health is available 24/7 to answer your questions.

At Ascend Hospice, we realize that planning for the future is a very important part of one’s life. We believe it’s essential to have a clear plan to ensure that what you value most in life is protected, and that includes deciding on the best options for your health care.

By participating in advance care planning, you will be taking a proactive step toward ensuring you receive the medical care you want in the future, especially if your healthcare provider or loved ones will need to make these decisions on your behalf. Participating in this planning process, allows you the chance to reflect on, communicate and document — using an advanced directive — your values and wishes for your future health care.

An advance directive is a legal document outlining what type of medical care you want to receive. It incorporates a living will and/or healthcare proxy. Although there are some specific laws that vary from state to state, essentially these documents detail your plans about various medical decisions and/or your designation of a proxy to make these decisions on your behalf, especially if you become incapacitated and unable to participate in such discussions. These documents are your voice, your values and your wishes.

An Ascend Hospice social worker will be happy to assist you and your family with creating these documents or facilitating the conversation with loved ones about decisions already in place.