Advance Health Care Directives and Living Wills in Imperial

Start with the decision you want the document to communicate

Before focusing on a form, consider what you want others to understand about your health-care preferences. An advance health care directive can express those wishes. It can also identify someone to make health-care decisions, but written instructions and the choice of a decision-maker answer different questions.

A useful starting point is to ask yourself: what preferences would I want someone to know if I could not communicate them? You can then consider separately whether you want to identify an agent. This page focuses on making treatment preferences clear, not on choosing or evaluating an agent.

• Write down the preferences you want to communicate in your own words.
• Note any points you are unsure about and want to discuss before deciding what to include.
• Consider the agent question separately from the content of your written instructions.

Make your preferences concrete before putting them into writing

A practical preparation step is to make a short list of the questions or circumstances that matter to you, then record the preferences you would want communicated. For example, you might write down a question about what you would want others to understand if you could not speak for yourself. That example is a prompt for reflection, not a medical recommendation.

Keep the distinction clear between personal preferences and the role of the document: the directive can express health-care wishes, while a financial power of attorney serves a different financial role. Bringing your notes to a planning conversation can help you explain what you want the document to say without treating a financial document as a substitute for health-care instructions.

• List the preferences you want to communicate and any wording you would like to clarify.
• Keep questions for discussion separate from decisions you have already made.
• Identify whether you are considering written instructions, an agent, or both.

Keep the document accessible to the people who may need it

Preparing a directive and making it available are separate practical steps. Keeping the relevant document accessible to the people who may need it can help them locate your written instructions when they are needed. Think about where the document will be kept and how the appropriate people would know how to find it.

Registering information about an executed directive is distinct from preparing and keeping the document accessible. Registration is not a replacement for having the relevant document available. As a preparation step, make a note of where you plan to keep it and who should know how to locate it.

• Decide where the relevant document will be kept.
• Consider who may need to know where it is.
• Keep the location information with your planning notes so it is easy to find.

Discuss the document in light of your own decisions

A planning conversation can help you separate the preferences you want in writing from the distinct question of who, if anyone, you want to identify to make health-care decisions. You can bring your written notes, questions, and a record of where you plan to keep the directive. The goal is to make your choices clear and to understand how the document communicates them.

Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. provides virtual services throughout California from its Novato office. A next step is to arrange a conversation about the health-care wishes you want to express and the practical plan for keeping the document accessible.