It is a great idea to leave specific instructions in case you are incapacitated. An advance directive tells your doctor what kind of care you would like to have if you become unable to make medical decisions yourself (if you are in a coma for instance). Advance directives generally fall into three categories: living will, health care proxy and power of attorney. It is very important to make your wishes known so that your family will know exactly what you want.
A very sad example when advance directives would have saved a lot of people a lot of anguish, time and money, is the last several years of Theresa Marie “Terri” Schiavo’s life. After she collapsed in 1990 and was diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state (PVS), huge controversy erupted regarding whether or not she should be taken off life support. After fifteen years of endless controversy, court battles, injunctions, new laws, and overturned laws, her feeding tube was removed and she passed away on March 31, 2005. Terri was very young when she became incapacitated, so it is not surprising that she did not have advanced directives or a living will. Had she, her husband, family and the courts would have known exactly what her wishes were and the whole ordeal would have been avoided. Rest in peace, Terri.
Here is a description of the types of advanced health care directives:
Living Will: A living will specifies the type of treatment you would want depending on how sick you are. For example, you would describe the type of care you want if you have an illness you are unlikely to recover from, or if you are permanently unconscious. A living will usually tells your doctor that you don’t want certain kinds of treatment, but they can also specify that you do want all possible treatment regardless of your condition. Laws regarding living wills are different in every state, so be sure to look up your local regulations. Click the thumbnail below to see a pdf example of what a living will might look like:
(Note: Do not use this as a guide to create a real living will!)
Health Care Proxy: This is a legal document that designates another person to make health care decisions for you if you become incapacitated. Your health care proxy essentially has the same rights to request and refuse treatment that you would have if you were capable of communicating your wishes.
Durable Power of Attorney: Legally assigning power of attorney to someone else will allow them to make bank transactions, sign Social Security checks, apply for disability, and complete other transactions in your name.
Making You Advanced Health Care Directives Known:
In order for your wishes to be followed, your directives documents must be legal. Generally this requires proper legal writing, notarization, and witnesses. Laws vary by state so be sure to consult with your physician and/or attorney. If something does happen to you, it is important for your family to know where to find your directives and how to use them. Members of our service, YouDeparted, can store their advanced health care directive information in their account in the “Directives” category. This category is special as Recipients to a members account can view them while the member is still alive.
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on Friday, June 29th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
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