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Selecting your Health Care
Proxies in Living Wills
Selecting health care proxies in living wills is a very important
aspect of your overall advance directives. Because a living will or
advance directives give specific instructions on how you will be
treated in en-life situations, it is only logical to designate a person
who will take responsibility for related health care decisions and
medical treatment in the event that you are unable or incapable of
making any judgment.
The health care proxy document is just a legal form that you need to
fill up. The hardest part of the whole thing is choosing the right
person for the job. You need to select a person that you can trust.
Selecting a person that can make sound decisions in highly emotional
situations would be your best option.
A living will allows people of the right age, basically individuals 18
and above, to practice their right to accept or refuse medical
treatment. Such treatments include among others the use of antibiotics,
artificial feeding procedures and the use of respirators and
ventilators. Now, sometimes, due to your illness, injury or condition,
it is difficult to make certain that your wishes about specific
treatments will be followed by your family and medical team. It is
important, therefore, to designate an individual that can ensure that
all your wishes and concerns are followed.
By appointing someone as your health care proxy, you are protecting
your wishes on your living will document. Although, a living will is a
legal document that needs to be respected and followed, it is still
less effective if it stands on its own. It is best to combine a living
will with a health care proxy’s presence and decisions making ability.
Your health care proxy can use the living will as a guide in talking to
your medical team and making the right decisions based on what you
wanted. The proxy can make decisions when your medical condition
changes, either for the better or for the worst.
Regardless, you need to plan everything in advance. You can assign your
health care proxy with as much responsibility as you want. You can even
allow your proxy to decide everything about your medical needs or
treatment. Hospitals and doctors are legally bound to follow your
proxy’s decisions. You need to be specific on your wishes or
instructions to your proxy. If for instance, your proxy does not know
your stand on some treatments or health care procedures, he/she will
not be able to make a decision. This particular decision might fall
under the responsibilities of the family.
If for some reason you changed your mind regarding your chosen
healthcare proxy, you can cancel the proxy and assign a new one by
simply filing a new healthcare proxy form. There is also a possibility
of adding a term limit to the validity of the person as your proxy.
This ensures some limitations if you’re looking for that. Also, if you
previously assigned your spouse as your proxy but got divorced later
on, the proxy agreement is also cancelled. Selecting your healthcare
proxies in living wills is a serious matter that needs your full
attention and careful thinking.
Articles
Living Will: An
Overview
The
Benefits Of A Living Will: A Rundown
More Than Just a
Living Will
Contents Of A
Living Will
Tips for Living
Will Creation
Frequently
Asked Questions about Living Will
Steps to
Creating a Living Will
What is
the Purpose of a Living Will?
How to
Create Your Own Living Will
A Living Will?
The
Fundamentals Of A Living Will
Living
Will Forms: How To Deal With Them
The
Benefits of Using a Living Will Software
Living
Will: Planning for End-of-Life Issues
What is a Living Will?
When is a
Living Will Effective?
Organ
Donation on Your Living Will
Differences
of a Living Will and Trust
Advance
Medical Directives: The Living Will
Specific
Medical Treatments Involved in Living Will
Difference
between a Living Will, a Will, and a Living Trust
Guidelines
In Making A Living Will
What
People Should Know About Living Will
What
is the Difference Between a Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney?
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