Everything you need to understand, complete and register your Advance Directive

An Advance Directive states your wishes about what kind of care you do or do not want if you are unable to make decisions or give consent.  It's called an "advance directive" because you decide and put those decisions in writing ahead of time, while you are able to make your own decisions. An Advance Directive empowers you to take control of your health (and mental health) care throughout the course of your life.  Since there may come a time when you may not be able to handle the complexities of your health care, an Advance Directive gives you the opportunity to take charge of your health care right now so that the decisions that are made on your behalf during a possible time of incapacity will be decisions that are guided by your own authority.  From the CPSA Advance Directives Information Center you can link to:

• Understanding Advance Directives ― Advance Directives: A Helpful User-friendly Guide, is designed to help you understand and complete an Advance Directive.  We recommend you review this presentation with your family, case manager, and others who support you.  You will also find resources to help you make your health (and mental health) care decisions, including definitions and answers to frequently asked questions.

• Completing an Advance Directive  ― In this section you will find Advance Directive forms, (which you can complete electronically or print and fill out with a pen), along with information to help you complete the forms.   You will also find information about what to do after you complete your Advance Directive forms.

• Four Steps to Registering Your Advance Directive  ― You may want to register your Advance Directive in the Arizona Health Care Directives Registry so that it can be easily accessed in the future.  In this section you will find the Registry Application (which you can complete electronically or print and fill out with a pen) and instructions for registering your Advance Directive.

• Additional Advance Directive Resources  ― If you have questions or need assistance, additional resources are provided, including information specific to CPSA Members.