The lead social worker at Hazleton General Hospital said advanced directives, or documents in which people specify how medical decisions affecting them are to be made if they are unable to make them, are important to have.

Common types of advance directives include living wills and healthcare power of attorney, Roxanne Dixon said.

"A living will is a document stating a person's wishes regarding their medical treatment. A living will directs one's attending physician to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment," Dixon explained during a recent Lunch and Learn program sponsored by the Greater Hazleton Health Alliance.

Without a living will or healthcare power of attorney in place, a person's family - or even the courts - may be required to decide care options for the individual.

"A living will only comes into effect once the person's physician diagnoses them as having a terminal illness otherwise known as an 'end-stage diagnosis' or they are incapacitated or in a vegetative state," she said.

A living will typically includes a series of questions that note whether the individual wants a specific treatment in the event a doctor determines he or she is in a terminal state. Treatment options include cardiac resuscitation, mechanical respiration or a feeding tube.

As for healthcare power of attorney, Dixon said it pertains to situations when a person is incapacitated and not able to speak for himself but who has not been given a terminal diagnosis.

"This is when it is important for a person to have a durable healthcare power of attorney. The reason I state 'durable' is because a durable power of attorney means the document stays in effect if the person becomes incapacitated and unable to handle matters on their own," she explained. "An ordinary power of attorney - or non-durable power of attorney - automatically ends if the person who makes them loses mental capacity. With a valid power of attorney, the trusted person that is named will be legally responsible to take care of important matters for the patient. This includes not only directing your medical care but also paying bills, managing investments, et cetera."

An individual can revoke power of attorney by notifying the attorney, she said.

"If there is no power of attorney identified and a person becomes incapacitated or unable to make their own decisions and they do not have any family, what ends up happening is a guardianship would take place. (A guardianship) means that the state would take over and make decisions for you," she said.