An Advance Healthcare Directive (AHD)  is a statement made by you, as a competent adult, relating to the type and extent of medical treatments and care you would or would not want to receive in the future should you be unable to express your wishes at that time. The commonly used term ’Living Will’ refers specifically to a written advance healthcare directive. This statement is a legally recognised document under the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015, as amended.

It must be stressed that an Advance Healthcare Directive is not asking doctors or nurses to do anything illegal — it is NOT a request for euthanasia. It is everyone’s right to accept or refuse medical treatment. And, if death results from the withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining treatment, it will not be considered as a suicide.

Your decision to refuse healthcare treatment is legally binding and must be complied with provided the following three conditions are met:
1. You lack capacity to give consent to the treatment at the appropriate time;
2. the treatment to be refused is identified in the directive; and
3. the circumstances, in which the refusal of treatment is intended to apply, are identified in the directive
The form that follows also includes the appointment of a designated healthcare representative to act on your behalf within the scope of the directive. This appointment is optional.

For a more comprehensive coverage on this subject you should visit www.decisionsupportservice.ie  and go to Your Guide to an Advance Healthcare Directive.
This model directive is based on, but not a direct copy of, the template provided by the Office of Decision Support Service.

It’s a sixteen-page document that you fill in to fit with your beliefs and wishes. You can download a copy of an AHD here.

These directives are not, as yet, legally binding documents in Ireland.  

They are the honest and intelligent expressions of someone’s wishes and as such, it is hoped they will be of considerable benefit to the families, friends and medical advisers of those who complete them. An AHD is sometimes referred to as a ‘Living Will’, completion of which is not  asking doctors or nurses to do anything illegal, nor is it a request for euthanasia.  

It is everyone’s right to accept or refuse medical treatment.  Importantly, if death results from the withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining treatment, it must not be considered as a suicide.

By talking ahead of time, family disagreements will hopefully be minimised, and relatives relieved of the burden of responsibility , especially when a loved one has lost their mental capacity to make their own decisions about medical treatment and care.  An AHD is a way in which a patient’s wishes can be made clear. 

Please do read our series of blog posts outlining how to prepare for end of life, which includes directions on how to complete your Advance Healthcare Directive.