Advance Directives

In Ohio, "advance directives" is the term used to describe three types of legal documents you can complete to express your wishes regarding your future health care: (1) a durable power of attorney for health care (POA), (2) a declaration for mental health treatment, and (3) a living will. An advance directive can be an important tool for you as a consumer of mental health and other disability services to guide your care should your attending physician determine that you lack capacity to make your own health care choices.

If you are looking for general information about advance directives, refer to Choices: Living Well at the End of Life (PDF file) and its companion guide, Conversations That Light the Way (PDF file) published by the Ohio Hospice & Palliative Care Organization.

Advance Directives Topics

• Advance Directives for Mental Health Treatment in Ohio (OLRS publication)
• The What-if? Workbook (PDF file) (This workbook was designed to be used with the "Advance Directives for Mental Health Treatment in Ohio" booklet.)

Advance Directives Sample Forms

• OLRS' Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Form (PDF file)
• State of Ohio Declaration for Mental Health Treatment (PDF file)

Links to Other Resources

The following are links to other resources and organizations that may be of assistance to people with disabilities. The Ohio Legal Rights Service (OLRS) attempts to verify that the links referenced are helpful for people with disabilities to find the resources needed to advocate for their needs. However, OLRS does not guarantee that the information provided within the destination link is accurate or right for the particular needs of the person. Once you follow a link away from the OLRS Web site, refer to that site's privacy policy and disclaimer statements.

• National Resource Center on Psychiatric Advance Directives
• Ohio Hospice & Palliative Care Organization
• Power in Planning: Self Determination through Advance Psychiatric Directives (Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law)
• Psychiatric Advance Directives (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
• Psychiatric Advance Directives Position Statement(National Mental Health Association)

Some links in this section are to documents created in Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF). To view and print PDF documents, you need to have Adobe® Reader®, a free software program, installed on your computer. Download Adobe® Reader®

• Advance Directives
• Future Planning