No one wants to think about being in a situation where they cannot make healthcare decisions for themselves. This happens to a lot of people though, and that’s why it’s a good idea to have an advance healthcare directive of your own. This document can save your family some stress and tell them exactly how you would want to be cared for if you are unable to make your own decisions due to an accident or a disease. A Woodland Hills advance healthcare directive attorney from our firm can help you make one.
How Does an Advance Healthcare Directive Work?
When you have an advance healthcare directive, you have a living will and you give someone healthcare power of attorney. Your living will leaves behind instructions about what kinds of treatments you would want and even which doctors and hospitals you would want treatment from. Then the person with your healthcare power of attorney can enforce those decisions for you.
Your directive can address a wide range of potential treatments. You can weigh in on things like:
- Feeding tubes
- Whether you would want to be resuscitated
- Life support
- Specific types of medications and treatments
- What kind of palliative care you would want to receive
- Whether you would want to pass away at home
- Whether you would like to donate your organs or not
Do I Need an Advance Healthcare Directive If I Have a Will?
A will does not leave behind instructions about your medical decisions. A will is there to address end-of-life plans and how you want your assets to be passed down. It is not something that would come into effect when you are just incapacitated, and it would not affect how medical decisions are made. This is why it is so important to have a living will and someone who will act with your healthcare power of attorney.
Who Makes Healthcare Decisions For Me If I Don’t Make a Directive?
If you become incapacitated and you do not have an advance healthcare directive, there could be arguments over how you get treated. This could require your family to go to court to argue these matters on your behalf. Maybe one person thinks that you would never want to go on life support, while another believes you would want any medical treatment that could extend your life.
The court will eventually decide who can make your healthcare decisions, but this could delay crucial care. It could also cause rifts between your loved ones. When you have a directive of your own, you can spare your family from this hardship.
Meet With Our Estate Planning Attorneys
If you do not have an advance healthcare directive of your own, contact the Law Offices of Yacoba Ann Feldman. We can help you draft one and work on your entire estate plan. Stay in control of your medical decisions and save your family from serious stress.
