End-of-Life Planning, Step by Step

It’s about conversations. Speak up! Don’t wait. Talk to your family and friends about what you want if, someday, you can’t communicate for yourself. Then, talk to your physician about the medical impacts of your wishes and talk to your attorney about the legal decisions you need to make.

It’s about decisions. Be clear. Don’t assume anything. Carefully consider all the possibilities. Do you want to be on life support? For how long? Do you want a feeding tube, or not? Do you want a do-not-resuscitate order? Don’t leave tough decisions to your loved ones. The more detailed you can make your living will, the less burden you place on your family later. Carefully choose one person as your medical power of attorney. This person should be very familiar with your wishes and willing to carry them out. Someone who is doubtful or uncomfortable about it isn’t the right person. It should only be one person with one alternate, not a group of people. Conversations and decisions make it more likely that your wishes will be followed and that your family will have peace of mind.

It’s about how we care for one another. By coming together as a community and emphasizing these conversations and decisions, we can encourage more people to commit to guiding their end-of-life care.

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Speak Up Series Printable Card

Advance Directives

An Advance Directive is a document stating your health care choices or naming someone to make choices for you if you become unable to do so. Iowa law provides two types of Advance Directives:

The Declaration Relating to Use of Life Sustaining Procedures, known as a Living Will. Additional options include the Iowa Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (IPOST) and the Out-of-Hospital Do Not Resuscitate Orders (DNR).

Living Will - a written statement detailing a person’s desires regarding their medical treatment in circumstances in which they are no longer able to express informed consent, especially an advance directive. [https://www.iowabar.org/?page=LivingWills]

Iowa Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (IPOST) - this document helps you communicate your preferences for key life-sustaining treatments including resuscitation, general scope of treatment, artificial nutrition and more. [https://idph.iowa.gov/ipost]

The Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care which provides for someone you designate to make decisions for your medical care in the event that you are unable to do so. This is also called a health care agent, health care proxy or substitute decision maker. [https://www.iowabar.org/?page=PowersofAttorney]