ANTICIPATED DIRECTIVES OF WILL, ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE, HEALTH CARE ATTORNEY: AN ISSUE OF SELF-DETERMINATION

Due to the aging of society, the number of people who will likely need medical intervention at a time when they will be incapable of making decisions has been increasing, especially within neurodegenerative diseases. Individuals, more and more enlightened and aware, try to state in anticipation their will concerning future health care. They do it for several reasons, chief among them religious issues and the concern not to lose their quality of life. The patient's decision grows in importance insofar as the limits of present consent are surpassed and one accepts that the will previous- ly expressed by the patient is the best reference for the therapeutic decision. One must thus examine the Advance Health Care Directive and the health care attorney through a review combining the ethical, clinical and legal dimensions.