Creating an advanced directive, also known as a living will, is an essential step in healthcare planning for several reasons:
- Clarifies Your Wishes: It allows you to clearly articulate your preferences for medical treatment, especially in situations where you might not be able to communicate your wishes directly, such as in severe illness or injury.
- Reduces Family Burden: An advanced directive can alleviate the emotional burden on family members who might otherwise have to make difficult decisions about their care without knowing your preferences.
- Prevents Conflict: By stating your wishes in advance, you can help avoid conflicts among family members with differing opinions about your care’s best course of action.
- Ensures Compliance with Your Wishes: Healthcare providers are more likely to follow your preferences if documented in an advanced directive.
- Flexibility: You can update or change your advanced directive as your circumstances or preferences change over time.
- Peace of Mind: Knowing that plans are in place for your care according to your wishes can provide you and your loved ones peace of mind.
- Legal Protection: An advanced directive is a legal document that provides certainty and legal protection regarding your healthcare decisions.
Creating an advanced directive is generally recommended for adults of all ages, as unforeseen situations can occur anytime. It’s part of being proactive about your healthcare and ensuring your values and preferences are respected.
Wishes Registered Wishes Honored
Your healthcare should be guided by your wishes. The Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry is designed to help.
We believe that every Arizonan should receive the healthcare they want, even when they can no longer speak for themselves. That’s why we developed the Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry (AzHDR). The Arizona HIE worked with several organizations and partners around the state to develop the secure online registry for housing advance directives. All too often, Arizonans don’t have their healthcare wishes for end-of-life care documented—or if they do, the forms can’t be found when they are needed. We’re striving to encourage every Arizonan to discuss, document and register their end-of-life and critical care preferences.
What is Contexture?
Contexture is a nonprofit healthcare information and technology organization that provides strategic, technical and administrative support to communities committed to advancing health through information sharing. Contexture operates Arizona’s health information exchange (HIE), Arizona’s primary resource for information technology and data exchange, integrating information with the delivery of care to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities.
Registering Your Advance Directives in Eight Steps
Completing and registering advance directives may seem daunting, but it’s easier when you follow a step-by-step process.
You can begin the registration process here: https://azhdr.org/registering-your-directives/help-me-register-b/