Advance Directives are documents written in advance of a serious illness or injury which state your choices about medical treatment or name someone to make choices for you, if you become unable to make decisions.

A living will is a document in which you can instruct your physician to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining procedures if you are terminally ill, in a coma, or in a persistent vegetative state with no reasonable likelihood of recovering. This form cannot be witnessed by the attending physician, an employee of the attending physician, or an employee of the hospital or nursing home where it is being signed.

A durable power of attorney for healthcare is another kind of advance directive: a signed, dated and witnessed legal document in which you can name another person, an agent, to make medical decisions for you if you become unable to make them.

Yes! It is the policy of Wesley Woods to honor your advance directive if it meets the requirements of state law. We also, recognize, and respect, your right to accept or reject offered medical treatment to the extent permitted by law.

You can obtain a living will and durable power of attorney of healthcare forms from the Medical Association of Georgia, the State Bar Association, and the Georgia Hospital Association. You may ask your physician, nurse or case manager to obtain the forms for you.

If you plan to sign a living will in a Wesley Woods facility, you or your family members will be responsible for assuring that witnesses other than Wesley Woods personnel, are present when you sign the documents. It is also preferable for you to have your own witnesses present when signing a Durable Power of Healthcare.