About Your Living Will and Your Health Care Representative ? A ...

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Jun
28
2011

Your living will is a declaration about what you do and do not want when it comes to medical care in the event that you are unable to speak for it yourself or are no longer able to make this kind of decisions yourself. In making this document, you don?t need to be an expert in the medical field. Certainly, you may have become familiar with the majority of the medical procedures that are administered to the seriously-ill and dying people.

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When you become critically-ill, you may create a directive telling medical personnel whether you wish or do not wish to receive life-prolonging treatments. Some of these procedures will include cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), use of respirator, surgery, diagnostic tests, blood transfusions, dialysis and artificial methods of providing nourishment and hydration. In your living will, you can direct your doctors to continue, withhold or withdraw any of these life support systems.

When you become very ill and succumb to comatose, there is no certainty as to when you are going to wake up and feel better. There are people who become permanently unconscious for years. Without a living will, they live for years or decades like that through artificial feeding and hydration. If you do not wish to forgo such treatments for yourself, it is best that you draft a living will indicating your desired medical interventions.

To make sure that your wishes are respected, it is also important that you appoint a health care representative. A health care representative is the person you give authorization to implement and carry out your wishes written under your living will. When you become unconscious, mentally- incompetent and unable to make any decisions, this appointed individual will make the health care decisions for you in your best interest. His choices will usually be based upon your advanced directives.

In choosing your health care representative, you need to make sure that he or she must be 18 years old. To make sure that this individual acts according to your wishes and in your best interest, you have to discuss and talk to him or her about your philosophies and ideologies when it comes to health care. Choosing this individual is important as any decisions he or she makes later on cannot be overruled by your family or your doctor without a court intervention. Make sure he or she is someone you trusts and will be able to act in good faith and consistent to your desires.

The living will and the appointment of the health care representative are major parts of estate planning. If you have concerns regarding the making of these legal documents, you better consult a professional firm such as the Estate Planning Austin TX. Estate Planning Austin TX has very competent lawyers who will be able to help guide you in the drafting of your living will. With their guidance, you will be able to understand the implications of the said directives and appointments. You will also be able to create a solid living will that cannot be contested.

For more of real estate planning needs, visit Estate Planning Austin Tx, where you can settle your assets and secure your future.
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