Living Will – Advance health care directive – Refuse of treatment
Advance health care directives, also known as advance directives or advance decisions, are instructions given by individuals specifying what actions should be taken for their health in the event that they are no longer able to make decisions due to illness or incapacity. A living will is one form of advance directive, leaving instructions for treatment. Another form authorises a specific type of power of attorney or health care proxy, where someone is appointed by the individual to make decisions on their behalf when they are incapacitated. People may also have a combination of both. It is often encouraged that people complete both documents to provide the most comprehensive guidance regarding their care.
A living will usually covers specific directives as to the course of treatment that is to be taken by caregivers. In some cases a living will forbids treatment and sometimes also food and water, should the principal be unable to give informed consent (“individual health care instruction”) due to incapacity. A living will can be very specific or very general. An example statement in a living will is: If I suffer an incurable, irreversible illness, disease, or condition and my attending physician determines that my condition is terminal, I direct that life-sustaining measures that would serve only to prolong my dying be withheld or discontinued.
More specific living wills may include information regarding an individual’s desire for such services such as analgesia (pain relief), antibiotics, hydration, feeding, and the use of ventilators or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. However, studies have also shown that adults are more likely to complete documents written in everyday language, also in Spanish.
The register in Spain is in Valencia.
Download Draft for advance directives (in spanish for Spain)