What are your health care preferences? If you become injured or incapacitated, what lifesaving measures do you want taken? What standard of care is your preference? Do you prefer to convalesce in your home or in a care facility?
Many people don’t ask themselves these questions until they are in a medical crisis – and that may be too late. Even if you’re experiencing the best of health, an unexpected accident, injury, or medical diagnosis can change that. That’s why you should work with an attorney now to put your health care preferences in writing. If you are ever unable to speak for yourself, you’ll be grateful for having your wishes plainly documented.
Pre-planning your health care directives gives you the opportunity to designate a trusted friend or family member who will oversee your care and make the decisions you would have made. In simple language – your family will know what you want and can take appropriate actions. In addition to a will and trust, in your estate plan, you’ll need an important health care-related document, an Advance Directive for Health Care.
In Georgia, the Advance Directive for Health Care allows you to:
- State your health preferences. It allows you to have an ongoing voice in the type and scope of health care you receive, if you are incapacitated or unable to communicate.
- Name someone you trust to be your health care agent and advocate. They’ll be able to make critical decisions regarding the care you receive, speak with doctors and other health care workers on your behalf, and ensure the care they provide lines up with your stated preferences.
- Designate your agent or someone else to make decisions regarding the disposition of your body. You also can elect burial or cremation and make decisions regarding the donation of your body and organs.
Any legal adult over the age of eighteen and of sound mind should have an advance directive for health care in place. The following situations necessitate this document.
- You lose the ability to communicate with the people around you
- You become incapable of comprehending the significance of your injuries or illness
- You can no longer understand the impact of the available choices related to your health
- Your physician decides you’re no longer capable of making your own health care decisions
Decisions about your health should be yours to make. Contact us today to schedule an appointment to discuss establishing your directive. The experienced attorneys at Grissom Law, LLC can help you establish the documents you need to gain control over your health care choices in the future and invaluable peace of mind in the present.
Disclaimer
This Blog/Web Site is made available for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide legal advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and Grissom Law, LLC.