Planning Ahead
Illinois law gives you the right to accept or reject medical treatment. You also have the right to give direction, in advance, about the kind of healthcare you want if the time comes when you cannot make your own decisions.
You can control your future healthcare by signing a Power of Attorney for Healthcare form naming a trusted relative or friend to communicate for you, and by signing a document called a Living Will that tells the kind of life-sustaining treatment you want or don’t want. These documents, called Advance Directives, are written statements you make, in advance, about your future medical treatment decisions.