Advance Health Care Directives and Living Wills for Piedmont Residents

Separate your written wishes from choosing an agent

An advance health care directive can do two related but distinct things: express your health-care wishes and identify someone to make health-care decisions. Written instructions describe what you want considered; naming an agent addresses who may make decisions for you. Thinking about each purpose separately can help you explain what you want the document to accomplish.

This page focuses on treatment preferences and preparing those instructions for discussion. If you have not decided who you want to make health-care decisions, note that as a separate question rather than letting it obscure the preferences you want to discuss. A financial power of attorney has a different role: it concerns financial matters, not health-care decisions.

• What values or priorities would you want people to keep in mind when considering your care?
• Are there particular situations or choices you want to raise for discussion?
• Which parts of the document should express your wishes, and which questions concern the person who may make decisions?

Prepare for a useful remote consultation

Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. has one in-person office at 802 Grant Ave, Novato, CA 94945, and provides virtual services throughout California, including Piedmont. For a remote conversation, preparation can make it easier to discuss your goals clearly without relying on memory alone.

Before the meeting, collect any existing health-care directive or related planning documents you want to discuss. Write down the questions that prompted you to seek guidance and the preferences you want to explain. You can also note which topics feel settled and which remain uncertain. These are preparation steps, not a checklist of legal requirements.

• Gather current documents that may help explain your existing instructions.
• Make a short list of preferences and questions you want to cover.
• Note whether you want to discuss both written wishes and the separate choice of a decision-maker.

Make the instructions usable when needed

Preparing a directive and keeping relevant documents accessible are separate from registering information about an executed directive. Consider how the people who may need to know about your instructions could locate the relevant document, and raise any questions about access during the consultation. A document that cannot be found may be difficult for others to consult when they need to understand your wishes.

If you already have a directive, bring it into the discussion rather than assuming that a new document is automatically necessary. You can ask whether the existing instructions still reflect your preferences and what steps, if any, you want to consider next. Registration is not a substitute for preparing and keeping the document accessible.

Keep expectations focused on your own preferences

A written directive records health-care wishes and may identify a decision-maker, but it does not itself resolve every future question about care. The purpose of discussing your preferences is to make your instructions clearer to the people who may need to consider them. You can bring questions about how to express your wishes without trying to predict every possible circumstance.

If your main concern is financial decision-making rather than health care, identify that distinction when you prepare. A financial power of attorney serves a different financial role and should not be confused with health-care instructions.