What are “Advance Directives” in the context of nursing home care?

Advance directives are essential legal documents that outline a resident’s preferences regarding medical treatment and interventions. They play a crucial role in healthcare decision-making, particularly for individuals who may become unable to communicate their wishes due to illness or incapacitation. In the context of nursing home care, advance directives ensure that the healthcare team understands and honors the resident's desires concerning life-sustaining treatments, resuscitation efforts, and other critical medical decisions.

By specifying preferences in advance directives, residents can have a voice in their care even when they are unable to express themselves, ensuring dignity and alignment with their values and beliefs. These directives may include living wills and durable powers of attorney for healthcare, which provide clear guidance to family members and healthcare providers.

This understanding is vital for nursing home administrators and staff, as it directly affects compliance with legal and ethical standards in resident care. Policies for staff conduct, guidelines for nutritional care, and financial planning documents, while important in their own rights, do not encompass the specific directives individuals form regarding their medical care and treatment preferences.