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• End-of-Life Decisions

Making end-of-life decisions ahead of time can spare friends and family the agony of trying to decide what level of care you would want to receive. To help you make your end-of-life decisions, the Pennsylvania Medical Society offers a patient guide on advanced health care directives and other information on advance directives and appointing health care agents.

More on this Topic

• » Five Steps: A Guide to Help Plan Your End-of-Life and Future Health Care
  Plan ahead for end-of-life and other future health care with an advance health care directive.
• » Good Medicine: Organ Donations
  April is organ donations month. Peter Lund, MD, founder of the Institute for Good Medicine at the Pennsylvania Medical Society, and Douglas Clough, MD, an internal medicine specialist from Pittsburgh, discuss the myths of organ donation and benefits of becoming a donor.
• » Looking Ahead: Making the End-of-Life Care Decision
  The stress of coping with a terminal illness can be lessened by talking with your doctor and family members about options.
• » Patient Guide: Advance Health Care Directives
  Get answers to your questions on advance health care directives, which allow you to plan for your future health care.
• » Combined Living Will and Health Care Power of Attorney (PDF)
  Sample form of a combined living will and health care power of attorney from Act 169 of 2006. 7 pages.
• » Living Will Declaration (PDF)
  Sample living will declaration form from Act 169 of 2006. 2 pages.
• » Organ Donation Is the Ultimate Gift
  Receiving a donated organ can be a matter of life or death, but unfortunately there are just not enough donors.
• » New Pennsylvania Law Defines End-of-Life Care Decision Making Process
  Make sure your end-of-life care wishes are understood by taking care of your advance health care directive.
• » A Patient Story: End-of-Life Decisions
  A critical care specialist shares a story about end-of-life decisions.
• » Decide for Yourself: A Guide to Advance Health Care Directives (PDF)
  Learn how to create an advance health care directive to decide your end-of-life care. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
• » Related Links: Advance Directives
  Find general information on end-of-life issues and decisions on these websites.