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Advance Directive

Planning and creating a living will helps put you and your loved ones’ minds at ease. A Nebraska advance directive gives you the tools to create a plan with your physician in case you are unable to make decisions about your medical care.

Heritage Health - Nebraska Total Care 

Planning your Advance Directives

An Advance Directive protects your rights for medical care. All Nebraska Total Care adult members have a right to make Advance Directives for their healthcare decisions. This includes planning treatment before you need it.

An Advance Directive tells people what you want if you cannot make your own decisions. If you have a medical emergency and cannot communicate what you need, your doctors will already know. An Advance Directive will not take away your right to make your own decisions.

Types of Advance Directives

A Healthcare Power of Attorney: names someone who is allowed to make healthcare decisions for you if you are no longer able to communicate what you want. This can be for physical health and mental health.

A Living Will: tells doctors what kind of medical care you want to receive (or not receive) if you are no longer able to communicate what you want. This lets you decide ahead of time which life-prolonging treatments you would want or not want. This could include:

  • Feeding tubes
  • Breathing machines
  • Organ transplants
  • Treatments to make you comfortable.

A living will is only used when you are near the end of life and there is no hope for you to recovery.

A “Do Not Resuscitate” (DNR) Order: tells healthcare providers not to give CPR if your heart and/or breathing stop. A DNR order is only about CPR. It does not provide instructions about other treatments.

Creating an Advance Directive

In Nebraska, a Power of Attorney for Health Care can be designated using the Power of Attorney for Health Care form (PDF). Talk to your person you appoint to make decisions.  Make sure they understand your wishes.  Keep a copy of the final form for yourself.  Give a copy to the person you appointed and other people you trust.  This will help to make sure the form is available in an emergency.  

If you would like additional information about Advance Directives please visit these sites: