As patients, we should receive the highest quality of health care throughout our lives, and the key to ensuring that we receive that quality care is to document our personal goals of care and treatment preferences through advance care planning.
Advance care planning helps design a treatment plan as we move through life so that the health care professionals who treat us can match the care we receive to the care we want. Studies have shown that patients who discuss and plan for their goals of care get better, patient-centered care in the place they want it, whether it’s at home, a hospital or a nursing home. In our state, there are three advance care planning documents available: the Advance Directive, the Health Care Power of Attorney, and LaPOST.
In 2010, Louisiana lawmakers approved the LaPOST document as a mechanism to ensure that we receive the care we want in the setting we prefer when we are diagnosed with a serious, advanced illness. LaPOST translates our end-of-life wishes and goals of care into a physician’s order. This physician’s order then transfers with us across the health care system. This ensures clear communication of our wishes among all health care professionals.

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Websites
View a list of resourceful links for more information. Learn More How to Use LaPOST
The LaPOST document is specifically for patients with serious, advanced illnesses who are not expected to recover. It is completely voluntary and expresses the patient’s preferences for levels of treatment at the end of life.
The LaPOST document should be completed only after a thorough discussion between the patient and/or his/her health care representative and the patient’s physician. This conversation should focus on the patient’s condition and include information about what treatments may work, what won’t work and what is or isn’t wanted by the patient.
To become valid, the LaPOST document must be signed by either the patient or his/her personal health care representative and the patient’s physician. Once signed, the LaPOST document becomes part of the patient’s medical record and must be followed by all health care professionals – including Emergency Medical Service personnel – no matter where the patient is being treated.
Although a copy of the LaPOST document is added to the patient’s medical records, it is important that the patient keep the original document. It should be stored in a safe, easy-to-find location, and the patient’s family or health care representative should be notified of where to find the document if it is needed. Discussing End-of-Life Issues
Discussing end-of-life care is never an easy task, yet it is one of the most important conversations we can have. Without it, our loved ones may never know our wishes, and we may not receive the kind of care we want at the end of life. Having this discussion is the first step to completing the advance care planning process and ensuring that our health care wishes are honored.
There are no concrete rules for discussing our end-of-life care preferences. It’s a conversation that can take place in any location and with one person or several of our loved ones. For some, it’s easier to open the discussion by writing a letter; others prefer to discuss the subject with a physician first. It is up to us to decide how, when, where and with whom we want to have this important conversation.
The most important thing to remember is that as difficult as this conversation may be, it would be even more difficult for our loved ones to have to make those decisions for us without knowing what we would and would not have wanted.
For ideas, guidance and information about having this conversation, please review our Conversations Change Lives Toolkit in the Resources section. Religious Faiths
We recognize that this guide is not inclusive of all belief systems. We also recognize that individuals interpret religious practices in different ways. The broad descriptions contained in the resource list below are only meant to provide general guidelines and information as described by free, publicly available resources, and as such, do not always represent official doctrine or doctrine described in official faith group documents.
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Baptist
There are more that 60 Baptist denominations in the United States. A large percentage of Baptists in North America are found in five bodies-the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC); National Baptist Convention (NBC); National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.; (NBCA); American Baptist Churches in the USA (ABC); and Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI). The below information may not represent the beliefs of all denominations.
Southern Baptist Convention
National Baptist Convention
American Baptist Churches in the USA
Baptist Bible Fellowship International
Buddhist
There are several schools or traditions in Buddhism. The below information is general information.
Catholic
- The Final Journey: Information from the Catholic Bishops of Louisiana on End-of-Life Decisions
The Final Journey Presentation (PPT) - Pathways to Convergence: Examining Diverse Perspectives of Catholics on Advance Care Planning, Palliative Care, and End-of-Life Care in the U.S.
- Palliative and Hospice Care: Caring Even When We Cannot Cure
- Thoughts About End-of-Life Care
- Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services
- Life-Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemmas
- Advance Directives: Expressing Your Health Care Wishes
- Teachings of the Catholic Church: Caring for People at the End of Life
- A Catholic Guide to End-of-Life Decisions: An Explanation of Church Teaching on Advance Directives, Euthanasia, and Physician Assisted Suicide
- Approaching Death: The Moral Choices
- Catholic Health Association of the United States
- Supportive Care Coalition
- Official Church Website
Christian Science
Episcopal
Hindu
Jehovah’s Witnesses
- How Can Blood Save Your Life?
- The Jehovah’s Witness Tradition: Religious Beliefs and Healthcare Decisions
- Guidelines for Health Care Providers Interacting with Jehovah’s Witnesses and Their Families
- Official Church Website
Jewish
There are several branches of Judaism, the main three being Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism. The below information is not intended to specifically treat these branches in a specific manner.
- Halachic Guidelines to Assist Patients and their Families in Making “End-of-Life” Medical Decisions
- End of Life Issues: A Jewish Perspective
- Jewish Life Choices
Latter-Day Saints
Lutheran
- Lutheran Church – The Missouri Synod
- Christian Care at Life’s End
- The Lutheran Tradition: Religious Beliefs and Healthcare Decisions
- Official Church Website
Mennonite/Anabaptist
Orthodox Christian
- Medical Bioethics: An Orthodox Christian Perspective for Orthodox Christians
- The Orthodox Christian Tradition: Religious Beliefs and Healthcare Decisions
- Official Church Website
Presbyterian
- What do Presbyterians believe about end-of-life issues? The last word belongs to God
- The Presbyterian Church (USA) Tradition: Religious Beliefs and Healthcare Decisions
- Official Church Website
Unitarian
- The Right to Die with Dignity
- The Legality of Living Wills
- Development of Hospices
- Beliefs about Life and Death in Unitarian Universalism
- Unitarian Christian Emerging Church
- American Unitarian Conference
- Official Church Website
United Church of Christ
- A Word to the Church on End-of-Life Care: Theological, Spiritual, and Ethical Reflections
- Faithfully Facing Dying: A Lenten Study Guide on Critical Issues and Decisions for the Members of the United Church of Christ
United Methodist
Disclaimer Statement Cultural Heritages
We recognize that this guide is not inclusive of all cultural heritages. The broad descriptions contained in the resource list below are only meant to provide general guidelines and information as described by free, publicly available resources.
African American
American Indian/Native American
Arab American
Bosnia
China
- Health and Health Care of Chinese American Older Adults
- Communicating with Your Chinese Patient
- Bits of Culture: China
Haiti
Hispanic/Latino
- Health and Health Care of Hispanic/Latino American Older Adults
- Caring Across Cultures and Belief Systems
- End-of-Life Care: The Latino Culture
- Communicating with Your Latino Patient
Indian & South Asian Countries
Japan
Korea
Philippines
Russia
Somalia
Thailand
- The majority of Thai are Buddhist, with Muslims making up most of the remainder. See references for Buddhist and Muslim faiths.
Vietnam
- Health and Health Care of Vietnamese American Older Adults
- Caring Across Cultures and Belief Systems
- Communicating with Your Vietnamese Patient
- End-of-Life Care: The Vietnamese Culture
Other Resources
Disclaimer Statement Resource Websites
This list provides initial resources, but does not include all that may be available. New information will be added to the site on a regular basis.
- Agency for Health Care Research and Quality
- American Academy of Hospice & Palliative Medicine (AAHPN)
- American Academy of Hospice & Palliative Medicine Blog
- American Academy of Pain Medicine
- American Hospital Association (AHA)
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Association of Professional Chaplains (APC)
- Catholic Health Association (CHA)
- Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)
- Center to Advance Palliative Care Discussion Forum (CAPC Connect)
- Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC)
- Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services
- Get Palliative Care
- GWish – George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health
- HealthCare Chaplaincy (HCC)
- Hospice Foundation of America (HFA)
- Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA)
- Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
- Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care
- The Joint Commission
- Journal of Pain
- Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
- Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA)
- National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC)
- National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
- National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO)
- National Institute of Nursing Research (NIH)
- National Quality Forum (NQF)
- Palliative Doctors
- Respecting Choices
- Social Work Hospice & Palliative Care Network (SWHPN)
- The National POLST Paradigm
- National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization-Caring Connections-Diversity Outreach
- Closure – General information
- Compassion and Support – New York