The end of life sometimes begins with an advance directive. Learning about advance directives now may make things easier for your loved ones later, when they’re in a hospital room trying to decide ...

Advance directives are legal documents that outline your preferences regarding major medical decisions. The two main types are a living will and a durable power of attorney. An advance directive is ...

Older adults with advance directives that were documented in electronic health records (EHRs) showed a lower likelihood of receiving burdensome end-of-life care and had lower rates of in-hospital ...

Jennifer Lagemann is a former family caregiver, as well as a professional caregiver and administrator at home care agencies. She works as a writer and researcher, helping care providers create patient ...

Talking about your advance care directive with your loved ones will make life — and death — easier later on. By Dana G. Smith Instead of talking about politics around the Thanksgiving table this year, ...

As a hospice and palliative care physician with Stillwater Hospice (formerly Visiting Nurse), most of my patients are facing serious and often life-ending illnesses. I have found most people have ...

Two main types of advance directives are living wills and healthcare power of attorney. These are legal documents that outline a person’s preferences regarding major medical decisions. An advance ...

States generally allow a person (principal) to appoint another person (agent) to make health care decisions, receive protected health information, or both on the principal’s behalf. In many states, ...

An advance directive for the state where you live may not be effective in another state. Some states have provisions that respect out-of-state directives as long as they conform to the requirements of ...

Guest columnist Jenifer Stevens, a licensed social worker with Hospice of the Western Reserve, holds the Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Social Worker credential. As we step into a new year, ...

Implementing advance care planning consults can increase advance directive completion rates. The authors demonstrate the impact of consults on completed advance directives in the medical record.