There are legally binding forms that you can use yourself to appoint a person to make health care decisions for you if you can`t. You can even appoint a second person in case the first lawyer is not able to fulfill your wishes. A living will is one of the most important things you can do in case you are no longer able to make medical decisions on your own behalf. No matter how good your doctors are or how much your family loves you, they just can`t read your mind. If you do not have a living will, the health care provider may receive treatment instructions from your spouse or another family member. In the worst case, the probate court should be involved in the appointment of a guardian. Cancer.net. Define your health wishes in writing. 2018. Accessed 19. February 2019 in www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/advanced-cancer/putting-your-health-care-wishes-writing.
There are two types of living wills: a continuing power of attorney for health care and a non-resuscitation order (NRV). Both indicate the type of medical intervention you want in case you can`t make a medical decision on your own. Both require signatures and two adult witnesses (not a spouse or blood relative) to be legally binding. Before creating a patient prescription, you should talk to your health care provider, loved ones, and at least one person you may want to choose as your agent or representative (alternate decision-maker). Talk to them about your situation, desires, and fears, as they are the ones who will help you put your wishes into practice if you are unable to do so. A power of attorney can be more flexible because it is impossible to predict the medical decisions that might be made in the future and establish your exact preferences for all these situations. Many states actually combine the living will and power of attorney into a “form of living will.” A POLST is intended for people who have already been diagnosed with a serious illness. This form does not replace your other instructions. Instead, it serves as doctor-prescribed instructions — much like a prescription — to make sure you get the treatment you prefer in an emergency. Your doctor will fill out the form based on the content of your living will, the conversations you have with your doctor about the likely course of your disease, and your treatment preferences.
Living wills must be made in writing. Each state has different forms and requirements for the preparation of legal documents. Depending on where you live, a form may need to be signed or notarized by a witness. You can ask a lawyer to help you with the process, but this is usually not necessary. Once you have completed your patient assignment, you need to make sure that everyone involved in your care has a copy and is aware of it: your doctor, hospital, hospice or palliative care team, key family members, and your lawyer if you have one. This is a document in which you specify the type of medical care you want to receive if you become terminally ill or unconscious permanently and cannot make decisions about health care for yourself. Unlike a living will, the document is NOT legally binding in Michigan. However, it can help your patient advocate better understand your treatment options. In some states, advance health care planning includes a document called Doctors` Prescriptions for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST). The document can also be called Life Support Provider Orders (POLST) or Medical Orders for Life Support Treatments (MOLST). Whether you are writing a living will, choosing a medical power of attorney, or both, you must make these decisions legally binding in writing. There are country-specific forms for these living wills; You don`t need a lawyer to prepare them.
A POLST form must be signed by a qualified member of your healthcare team, such as your doctor. Emergency personnel such as paramedics and emergency medical technicians cannot use a living will, but they can use a POLST form. Without a POLST form, emergency personnel are required to perform all possible treatments to keep you alive. Myth #9. If I live at home and my living will says I don`t want to be resuscitated, emergency medical services won`t revive me if I have a cardiac arrest. You can usually get living will forms from your state bar association or Caring Connection (which is part of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization). If you are ready to complete your living will, your health care team may be able to help. Each state has its own living will form that gives you questions to answer and specific things you can accept or reject, but you can always add additional information about your wishes if the form doesn`t include everything you`re concerned about. The best thing you can do after creating a living will, whether it`s a living will or a power of attorney for health care, is to make multiple photocopies of the finished document and keep the originals in a safe place.