Every time is always the right time for you to get your healthcare directive. Almost thirty-six percent of Americans has advanced medical directives, that is according to a recent study. This is the right time for anyone thinking of getting a future health will to do it. The health sector is an unpredictable ground, and the future may not be the same as the present. Most people with advance directives are patients suffering from chronic diseases even though anyone can have them. Making important personal decisions is crucial for anyone. Advance directives can be divided into two categories; the power of the attorney and the living will. When the patient is not in a position to act, it is upon the two directives to ensure that medical care directions have been provided.
Through your medical proxy, the power of the attorney aims at ensuring that the instruction is followed to the latter. The chosen person is tasked with handling your wishes in the case of an unanticipated situation. The person could be a person who meets the state’s healthcare agent representative, someone outside your medical care team, a trusted advocate who can handle any disagreements, a person willing you can discuss the end of life issues with or a person who can adhere to your wishes and values. It may be difficult, but it should not worry you as you could pick a family member, spouse or friend as they can make great health agents.
A living will is a term referring to any written document explaining what should be done in the medical sense when faced with an end of life situation. Preferences for organ donation, pain management, and critical medical decisions are also contained in the living will. Always endure that your values come first when you are writing a medical will. Give details about the situations under which you want to stay alive and those that you do not want to and if you will consider any treatment to keep you alive. When writing the living will analyze all life situations and end of life care possibilities.
In case of dialysis is needed, make sure you explain whether you would like to have waste removed from your body and for how long. If you do not include details about tissue and organ donations, your agent may have a difficult task when the time comes. You could wish to have an organ donated to you when faced with a threatening condition, or you could also want to donate an organ while on life-sustaining treatment, and all these possibilities should be included in your living will.