Lung Cancer and Advance Directives

Advance directives are documents people use to ensure that their medical care will be conducted according to their wishes, even if they cannot make their own decisions. Directives about medical care are a good idea for everyone to consider, but such documents become especially important if you are diagnosed with lung cancer or another serious illness.

"Advance directives are not only for people who are ill," says Joan Schiller, MD, chief of the division of hematology-oncology and deputy director of the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center in Dallas and a national spokeswoman for the American Lung Association. "An advance directive can tell your health care team who to talk to about health decisions in the event that you are no longer able to make them yourself."

Lung Cancer: Making a Living Will

A living will is an advance directive that details your wishes about what kind of medical care you will want if you become longer able to communicate or make decisions. "A living will specifies very precisely what you do or don't want done," says Dr. Schiller.

If you have lung cancer and are thinking about what you would want to happen should you become unable to voice your wishes, consider a living will. Particularly comforting to friends and family members, who can be sure medical decisions are being carried out according to your wishes, living wills can answer questions about your decisions regarding issues related to your lung cancer treatment or end-of-life care including:

• The use of CPR
• The use of medical equipment, such as a respirator, to keep you alive
• The use of a feeding tube
• Comfort care preferences
• Organ and tissue donation

Living wills do have limitations, however. "The problem with a living will is that you can't think of everything," says Schiller. "It is so very specific and it can't outline all of the possibilities."

Lung Cancer: Picking a Durable Power of Attorney

"If you have someone whom you can trust, like a spouse for example, most people in [the field of oncology] recommend a power of attorney," says Schiller.

Like a living will, durable power of attorney for health care can be implemented if you are no longer able to make medical decisions. But instead of specifying the type of medical care, a durable power of attorney for health care names someone who will make medical decisions for you. This person is called a health care proxy, and should be someone who knows you well and whom you can rely on to make decisions with your best interests in mind.

When you decide on a durable power of attorney, the paperwork designating that person as such should be dated, signed by you, signed by a witness, and also notarized.

Lung Cancer: Getting Help With Advance Directives

To learn more about advance directives, talk with members of the medical team treating your lung cancer. Lawyers can assist with advance directives, but you can draft advance directives without the help of an attorney. If you do draft your own, make sure to get the proper forms from the local state health department or Office on Aging, and make sure you have met the legal requirements in your state. Once the living will and durable power of attorney are complete, make copies to share with your loved ones and health care providers.

While getting the advance directives in order, take time to create or review your last will and testament with the help of an attorney. Your will is the legal document that specifies how your assets will be distributed in the event of your death.

While it can be difficult emotionally to begin making end-of-life arrangements, it can ease pressure on your loved ones and give you much-needed peace of mind.