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Advance Directives for Health Care
A living will (also known as an advance medical directive) is a statement of your wishes for the kind of life-sustaining medical intervention you want, or don't want, in the event that you become terminally ill and unable to communicate.
All adults have the fundamental right to control their own medical care, including the decision to utilize or terminate artificial, extraordinary pr heroic medical treatment that only prolong the process of dying. This right is normally exercised by competent patients giving (or withholding) consent for treatment when such treatment is proposed by their physicians or the facility in which they are living.
Proxy Directives – Appointing a Health Care Representative
Another way to control your future medical care is to designate a person, whom you trust understands your health care wishes, to act as your agent. This designee, known as a proxy, is granted the legal authority to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to make such decisions for yourself. If you become incapacitated and cannot make your own decisions, your chosen proxy (also known as your “Health Care Representative”) will serve as your substitute. The proxy is your representative in discussions with your physician and others responsible for your care when you are unable to communicate your wishes. In order to be effective in some states, the Proxy Directive appointing the health care proxy must contain clear language stating that it is to be used for such an appointment.
Choose your healthcare agent carefully. That person should be able to do three key things: understand important medical information regarding your treatment, handle the stress of making tough decisions, and keep your best interests and wishes in mind when making those decisions.
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