Homedica

An Advanced Directive is a document that provides a person the opportunity to give directions about future medical care. It can also serve as a legal document designating another individual (proxy or health agent) to make decisions for you if you are unable to make those decisions yourself. This document will express your wishes if you become incapacitated. It covers your specific preferences for the kind of medical treatment you want or don’t want. It contains how you want people to treat you, and what you want your loved ones to know. NOTE: Advanced Directives are not necessary for a patient to receive AIM Palliative Home Health.

• A Medical Power of Attorney for Health Care: This type of advanced directive allows you to name an individual to make health care decisions when you are not able to do so. This person may also be referred to as a proxy or health care agent.
• Living Will: A living will specifies whether you would like to be kept on artificial life support if you become permanently unconscious or dying and unable to speak for yourself.
• Do Not Resuscitate/DNR Order: A DNR order exists in a written order from a doctor or in a living will, and states that resuscitation should not be attempted if a person suffers a cardiac or respiratory arrest. A DNR order is commonly created when a person who has an inevitably fatal illness wishes to have a more natural death without painful or invasive medical procedures that will not reverse the outcome of the terminal illness.
• LaPOST document: Created with input from health care and legal professionals across the state and approved in 2010 by the Louisiana Legislature as Act 954, the Louisiana Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (LaPOST) document is a best-practice model for patients with serious, advanced illnesses to state their preferences for end-of-life treatment in a physician’s order. Learn more about LaPOST at http://www.lhcqf.org/.

Home health care refers to any type of medical care that is provided to the patient in their home. Home health care usually includes assisting persons who are recovering from illness, injury or surgery; those who are disabled or chronically ill; persons diagnosed with a terminal illness who wish to continue curative treatments such as dialysis, chemotherapy, or radiation; and those who require therapeutic treatment and/or assistance with the essential activities of daily living (ADLs).

The patient has limited mobility and it’s a hardship to transport him/herself to the doctor’s office.