Advance Health Care Directives and Living Wills in Oakland

Put written preferences at the center of the conversation

Before a remote consultation, consider which health-care wishes you want to communicate in writing. You do not need to arrive with polished language. A short list in your own words can help identify what matters to you, what you are uncertain about, and what you would like to discuss. If your views are still taking shape, make a note of that too.

An advance health care directive can both express health-care wishes and identify someone to make health-care decisions. These are related but separate functions: your written instructions communicate preferences, while identifying someone concerns who may make decisions. You can prepare to discuss both without treating the choice of a decision-maker as the whole purpose of the document.

• Note the preferences you would like to address and any points you are unsure how to describe.
• Write down questions about communicating your wishes in a document.
• Separately note questions about identifying someone to make health-care decisions.

Gather useful information before a remote consultation

As optional preparation, collect any existing health-care planning documents you would like to refer to during the discussion. You might also make a list of people you expect may need to know about your wishes and how you could contact them. These details can help you consider who should know where relevant documents are kept; they are practical prompts, not legal requirements.

You can organize your notes in whatever way is comfortable: a brief written outline, questions saved for the conversation, or copies of existing documents to have available. The aim is to make it easier to explain what you want the document to communicate and where you would like to focus the discussion. This preparation is not medical advice, and it does not require you to settle every preference in advance.

Consider how people may find the document

When planning written instructions, consider where you keep relevant documents and which people should know how to access them. Accessibility is a practical planning question; it does not change what your preferences say. For example, you might think about whether someone you expect may need the document knows where it is kept.

Preparing and keeping relevant documents accessible is distinct from registering information about an executed directive. Registration information is not the directive itself. If you want to discuss registration, bring that question to the consultation along with your questions about storing and sharing the document.

Keep health-care and financial planning purposes distinct

An advance health care directive concerns health-care wishes and health-care decisions. A financial power of attorney serves a different role involving financial decisions. If you have questions about both, list them separately so the consultation can address which document relates to which concern.

A useful next step is to gather any existing health-care documents, write down the preferences and open questions you want to discuss, and consider who may need to know where the documents are kept. Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. has one in-person office at 802 Grant Ave, Novato, California, and provides virtual services throughout California, including Oakland.