The Importance of Advance Healthcare Directives- What are They?

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An advance directive is a legal document that allows you to proactively make certain choices about your medical decision making and end-of-life care prior to a crisis. An advance directive allows you to tell your loved ones and health care professional in writing who you want to make medical decisions on your behalf; who you want to be able to speak to medical professionals on your behalf; and what your end of life wishes are.

An advance directive is important for anyone over the age of 18! Yes, even your college aged children. It is never to early to get your living will and trust together incase anything ever happens.

An advance directive designates a surrogate to make health care decisions on your behalf and also allows the designation of an alternative surrogate if the original surrogate is unwilling, unable, or unavailable to perform their duties. It also outlines your personal choices about end-of-life medical treatment if you are ever in a terminal condition, end stage condition, or persistent vegetative state and are unable to communicate your wishes. An advance directive allows you to put those wishes on paper so your health care surrogate has direction of what you want to happen. It takes the burden off of your health care surrogate to decide on end-of-life decisions – such as do you want artificial nutrition or hydration if you are in a terminal condition, end stage condition, or persistent vegetative state.

Advance directives are important as ever as we navigate through COVID-19 and this pandemic. Checking that your living will and trust is in order every few years helps keep everything up to date if anything were to happen. If you want to start preparing your advance directive, or are interested in more information, please contact Celaya Law.