
How to Write a Health Care Directive (Virtual)
We will walk you through how to write a legal document called a health care directive using the Honoring Choices Minnesota forms.
We may not be able to see into the future, but we can plan for it. When you use Advance Care Planning to document your healthcare wishes and needs, you stay in the driver’s seat for your own healthcare, no matter what happens. We provide the roadmap – you do the steering.
Begin creating your advance care plan by completing the health care directive form below. The form is available in multiple languages for your convenience.
For more information about Advance Care Planning assistance and resources, call us at 763-581-8282.
When an individual communicates their future healthcare preferences/wishes:
It is recommended that all people over the age of 18 start advance care planning. The best way to start is by having conversations with the people you trust, and your healthcare team. It is important to keep having these conversations, and, Honoring Choices Minnesota® recommends you follow the guide of “5 Ds” as a reminder of when to have advance care planning conversations:
Advance care planning discussions are important when you start a new Decade of life.
When you experience a family change or Divorce, make sure your healthcare directive is updated, or that other people you love and trust know your healthcare values and wishes.
When you’re Diagnosed with a serious health condition, advance care planning is important – start with your healthcare team and update your healthcare agents and people you trust about your new diagnosis.
Whenever you experience the Death of a loved one, your health care directive may need updating. You may change how you feel about life-prolonging treatments or have a different idea of what you would want for your own death.
When you experience a physical Decline because of an existing health condition it might be important to review your health care directive or make changes to your future health care wishes based on your health changes.
Email the North Memorial Health Advance Care Planning team at acp@northmemorial.com for assistance.
Advance care planning is about making your preferences known to family, loved ones and providers. Before you can share your preferences, you must understand the options and determine what your preferences really are. There are many places to learn more about how to plan for your care. Some important questions to consider include:
A health care agent should be someone you trust, such as your spouse, unmarried same-sex partner, life partner, domestic partner, child over the age of 18, or parent, to speak on your behalf if you are not able to talk or communicate with your healthcare team. An agent does not make decisions based upon their own opinion, but rather based on the values and goals that have been communicated to them by the people they represent. Your health care agent must be 18 or older and cannot be your health care provider, unless the provider is a family member or you give reasons for the naming of this agent in your directive.
There are several kinds of documents used in advance care planning. Each document informs heath care providers about your specific wishes. The documents may vary by state, but they must be signed and may need to be witnessed or notarized in order to be considered legal documents. A legal document, called a health care directive, belongs to you, includes your wishes and can only be cancelled or changed when you choose. Hopefully your health care directive names a health care agent – legally, they have to do their best to follow the wishes you have written in your legal health care directive.
Sometimes people think of health care agents as advocates or see them as a healthcare decision maker spokesperson, because their job is to talk with your healthcare team when you are unable. The name of this role varies by state. Some states call this role a Durable Medical Power of Attorney or Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, or use the term POA. Sometimes a health care agent may be called a proxy, surrogate, advocate, representative or decision maker. No matter what they are called, your health care agent, as they are called in Minnesota, is an official duty that is identified by a legal document, which in Minnesota is called a Health Care Directive.
What types of decisions might my healthcare agent need to make?
Making medical decisions for someone else is a big responsibility – you will want to let your health care agent know that you have named them in a legal document. You can discuss with your health care agent your specific wishes, and your wishes for your future, as well as your end-of-live.
Claire Stuessy, LICSW
Advance Care Planning Social Worker
claire.stuessy@northmemorial.com
763-581-7707
If you have other questions, please contact us at acp@northmemorial.com.
A health care directive is a written document that informs others of your wishes about your health care. It also allows you to name a person to act as your health care agent and make decisions about your health for you if you are not able to do so yourself. You must be at least 18 years old to make a health care directive or to be an agent.
A health care directive is important in case you are ever unable to make your own health care choices. It tells your doctor and your loved ones what your care wishes are and who you have chosen to make decisions on your behalf.
You may be as specific or general as you wish. You decide what information to include in your health care directive. It is important to discuss the information in your health care directive with your health care agent(s) and loved ones. Your health care directive may include many types of information, including:
There are some limits about what you can put in your health care directive.
North Memorial Health uses the Honoring Choices Health Care Directive form. This form may be downloaded on this page. You may also use an alternate health care directive form of your choosing as long as it meets the legal requirements for the state of Minnesota.
In order to be a legal document in the state of Minnesota, your health care directive must:
You should give copies of your directive to your physician or other health care provider, your agent(s) and also close family or loved ones. It is important to review and update your directive as your health needs change. Keep the original in a safe place where you can easily find it.
Health care directives prepared in other states are legal if they meet the requirements of the state of Minnesota.
Your health care directive lasts until you change or cancel it. You may cancel your directive by:
You will still receive health care services if you do not have a health care directive. Your health care providers will do their best to listen to your loved ones so that the care you get fits with your wishes. Having a health care directive is the best way to ensure that you receive the care you desire.
Get the support and education you need to live your best life. Consider this care beyond the clinic walls.