When directives exist, the nurse may use the directive to help families to understand and follow the choices laid out in the directive for a family member who has become gravely ill and is incapacitated. When a patient has stated in a directive that she/he wishes to have life-sustaining interventions such as CPR or intubation withheld, the family often feels relieved to know that they are not making the choice. Some families experience guilt over depriving a family member of even e smallest possibility of continued survival.