An Advance Directive is a written, legal document where you leave instructions on the type of care and who you want making your health decisions should you lose the ability to make those decisions yourself.

There are two types of advance directives:

• Medical Advance Directive is a legal document that communicates your wishes regarding healthcare in case something happens to you and you cannot make those decisions yourself. In Michigan any adult who is of “sound mind” can have a medical advance directive. So if you have a guardian, or the court finds that you are not able to make your own treatment decisions you cannot have an advance directive. In Michigan certain people cannot make an advance directive on your behalf including guardians, spouses, other family members, healthcare workers or anyone who could get gifts or income upon your death.
• Advance Directive for Mental Health Care is a legal document in which you tell healthcare providers what your treatment choices are during psychiatric emergencies. In this document you choose a patient advocate to make mental health decisions that you would normally make yourself. You must create this document before the emergency happens. Just like medical advance directives, you must be of “sound mind,” so you cannot have an advance directive for mental health if you have a guardian.

For more information on Advance Directives call the Recipient Rights/Customer Service Department at
1-888-482-8269 or 989-895-2317.

More Information on Advance Directives from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services 

National Resource Center Information on Psychiatric Advance Directives