Advance Directives

(Living Will, Durable Power of Attorney)

Making your healthcare decisions in advance can communicate your wishes and healthcare choices if you are unable to.

Advance Directives
As part of our continuing commitment to serve you better, Georgetown Community Hospital has established policies and guidelines to support your wishes and healthcare choices. Providing direction about your wishes can be expressed in many ways, including Advance Directives and/or a Living Will.

An Advance Directive tells your doctor what kind of care you want – or do not want – under certain circumstances. For instance, if you are permanently unconscious, you may prefer not to have a certain procedure, or you may specifically state that you do want a certain procedure, depending on your diagnosis and condition.

One type of Advance Directive is called a Living Will, a written legal document that describes what type of treatments you would want. It does not allow you to choose someone to make your medical decisions for you.

A Durable Power of Attorney for healthcare is another form of Advance Directive that identifies a person you have chosen to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to do so.

It is important that you speak with your physician about potential healthcare decisions in advance. It is also important that you identify someone to speak for you and safeguard your wishes if you do not have the capacity to make a decision.

You may choose to create your own Advance Directive. To obtain more information on Advance Directives and current Kentucky standard forms, contact your nurse.

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More About Living Will

The Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) is pleased to provide a recording about the Kentucky Living Will, which is especially helpful to the blind. This recording, provided in-kind through the generous resources of the American Printing House for the Blind, will help our blind patients learn about Living Wills in Kentucky so they have a voice in decisions about their medical care.

The KHA "Effective Communications in Hospitals" Committee works tirelessly to assist hospitals in the Commonwealth to communicate more effectively with patients who are blind, deaf, or who have limited English proficiency.  Much of the Committee's work can be found at:

Click here to visit the KHA website to find resources for the deaf and hard of hearing; language interpreter and translators; or for patients who are blind or who have low-level vision.