Advance Healthcare Directives

Avon Advance Healthcare Directive Attorneys

Let Us Help You Create Advance Directives For Your Needs!

When you start the estate planning process, you will be bombarded with questions that can feel a bit morbid. Creating legal documents that outline how your assets are distributed after you die or how your health will be managed at the end of your life is enough to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

Creating advanced healthcare directives is one of the best ways to ensure you are taken care of by the people you select and in a way that respects your wishes. This legal document is like an instruction manual your family members and health care representatives can use to administer medical care that you agree to ahead of time.

Call 440-530-9166 to schedule a free consultation with Hallett Legal Group, LLC. Our talented team can help you every step of the way to ensure you only receive the medical treatment you are comfortable with.

What is an Advance Directive?

There are two documents that fall under the category of advance directives. The first is a health care power of attorney, and the other is a living will.  A health care power of attorney is a legal document where you give directions regarding your health care decisions should you become incapacitated. This document also allows you to name another person who can also make health care decisions on your behalf.

Your advance directive can include decisions regarding emergency care, special actions you are alright with, and ones you would like to avoid. In general, let’s plan ahead for medical treatment decisions when you are unable to make those decisions yourself.  At Hallett Legal Group, LLC, we also create a HIPAA release to make sure that only those people you choose have access to your medical information.

What is Usually Included in an Advance Directive?

Advance directive is a broad term that can include multiple legal documents. You can appoint a healthcare power of attorney which is someone who can make decisions regarding medical treatment on your behalf. Your directive will set guidelines your loved ones should follow regarding your healthcare preferences. This person also acts as your health care representative, a trusted person to make sure your wishes are respected.

You can also describe your end-of-life wishes in a living will. This document lets your doctors and family know what you want to happen when you are permanently unconscious or terminally ill.  Your healthcare power of attorney and living will are designed to work together.

You can also take this time to outline what treatment you are comfortable with receiving and which treatments you would like to avoid. Common treatments that you can make decisions in advance for may include:

  • CPR.
  • Mechanical ventilation.
  • Tube feeding.
  • Antibiotics and antiviral medications.
  • Palliative care.
  • Organ and tissue donations.

Creating a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order or a do-not-intubate (DNI) order is not something you need to include in your advance directive but should instead be relayed to your doctor so they can add it to your medical record.

Can You Change Your Advance Directives After it is Signed?

You can change some or all of your directives at any time. You may wish to make changes when receiving a new diagnosis or when your health changes. When making these changes, you will have to create a new form, distribute copies, and destroy the old version. When making changes to your directive, you should speak with your primary care doctor and ensure your old directive is replaced with the new one.

You should consider making changes to your directive if any of the following changes:

  • A new diagnosis of a disease that is terminal or significantly alters your life.
  • When you marry, divorce, separate, or your spouse passes away, you should update your directive to include a new healthcare representative.
  • You should update your directive every ten years. Your decisions regarding end-of-life care may change as you age, and you should ensure they reflect your current wishes.

What Does an Advance Directive Attorney Do?

We understand that any legal process can be overwhelming, but one that is specifically for your health and end-of-life care can be daunting. While you can use a form found online to create your advance directive, it is better to work with an attorney who can guide you through the process and answer the uncomfortable questions you may have.

Hallett Legal Group, LLC can help answer your questions and create a directive that honors your wishes and helps your family understand your medical treatment wants and needs. Call  440-530-9166 to speak with our compassionate team.