Advance Directives
Advance directives are documents that let others know your wishes about the type of care you want and are used only if you become unconscious or too ill to communicate yourself. You also may appoint someone you know and trust as your healthcare decision maker to ensure that your choice or decision is honored.
Advance directive forms, linked below, and information about these directives are available from the Tennessee Department of Health site. All forms have a special section for you to write in specific comments about circumstances in which you would not want CPR, a feeding tube, dialysis or treatment with a breathing machine. You should discuss these comments with your family and doctor so they can better understand what is important to you in receiving medical treatment.