Your Health Care Directive allows you to take care of many things while you are in good health and clear state of mind. Keep in mind that your agent will act like you would act in similar circumstances. You may authorize, or decline to consent to organ donation, or to provide for burial-cremation ceremony. These tough decisions may be particularly important for your family members, especially if you were married more then once and have children form previous marriages.

You current spouse may want to do one thing, and you children from previous marriage want to take care of your body in a different way. By issuing a Living Will you cut all possible disputes among you family members.

You agent, or "attorney in fact", will make arrangements for care at a hospital, hospice, nursing home or similar care facility; hire or discharge health-care personnel necessary for your physical, mental and emotional well-being; and access information about your personal affairs and your physical or mental health, such as medical records.

You may specify what kind of care you do and do not want to receive.

Among the powers that you may grant are:

(1) Consent, refuse consent, or withdraw consent to any care, treatment, service or procedure to maintain, diagnose or treat a physical or mental condition, and to make decisions about organ donation, autopsy and disposition of the body;

(2) make all necessary arrangements at any hospital, psychiatric hospital or psychiatric treatment facility, hospice, nursing home or similar institution; to employ or discharge health care personnel to include physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, dentists, nurses, therapists or any other person who is licensed, certified or otherwise authorized or permitted by the laws of this state to administer health care as the agent shall deem necessary for my physical, mental and emotional well being; and

(3) request, receive and review any information, verbal or written, regarding my personal affairs or physical or mental health including medical and hospital records and to execute any releases of other documents that may be required in order to obtain such information.
 

To better understand the health care and pecuniary related issues our legal articles, frequently asked questions, facts and other law related information may be of interest to you.

• What is Patient Self-Determination Act?
• What is a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care?
• Health Care Directive Legal Information
• Health Care Directive Articles and News
• Health Care Directive Frequently Asked Questions