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What is an Advance Healthcare Directive?

Many people don’t realize just how complicated matters can become if they were to become incapacitated and unable to make their own healthcare decisions. This is why everyone should have an advance healthcare directive that leaves behind some instructions for their loved ones. A Des Moines power of attorney lawyer from our firm can help you with this.

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Why is an Advance Healthcare Directive Important?

An advance healthcare directive has two parts. You have a living will, which gives people instructions about what kinds of treatments you would want and which doctors and hospitals you would want to go to. Then there is your healthcare power of attorney, which gives someone the right to make your decisions according to that living will.

If you do not have an advance healthcare directive, your family may have to go to court in order to decide on what kinds of treatments you should receive while incapacitated. This can delay care and cause a lot of stress for your family members.

Do I Need This If I Have a Will?

Yes, a will just allows you to leave certain assets behind for loved ones and make plans for the end of your life. It doesn’t include instructions for what to do if you have been incapacitated. This is what your living will is for, and it’s a crucial part of your advance healthcare directive. If you have an existing will, our estate planning lawyers can help you with any other aspect of your estate plan.

What Kinds of Decisions Can an Advance Healthcare Directive Affect?

Your advance healthcare directive can address a number of important healthcare-related decisions. You can take the time to think carefully about what you would want your family to do if you were in specific situations or if there were multiple ways of treating a medical issue. This document can issue directions about:

Tube feeding: Would you want to be fed via a tube if you could no longer eat or drink on your own?

Comfort care: If you are going to pass away, what kinds of treatments would you want to accept in order to make things more comfortable for you? Your directive can address certain medications or treatments, or you could even leave instructions about how you would want to pass away at home instead of in a hospital.

Mechanical ventilation: Would you want machines to breathe for you if you were no longer able to breathe on your own?

Organ donation: Your directive can also include instructions about donating organs or even donating your body to science.

Make an Estate Plan of Your Own

So if you want to make sure that your family doesn’t have to worry about making any tough healthcare decisions for you, contact Herting Law, PLLC. We can update your estate plan and make sure that you have a binding advance healthcare directive of your own.

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