Moreno Valley Advance Health Care Directive Planning

Decide what you want written down

An advance health care directive can express health-care wishes. Begin with the preferences you want others to understand, rather than assuming that selecting a decision-maker communicates those preferences for you. Consider what matters to you and what information would help someone understand the choices you want reflected in writing.

Keep the focus on communicating your own preferences. A written document can convey what you want known; it does not answer every question that may arise about a particular treatment or your medical circumstances. For questions about treatment or its medical implications, seek guidance from an appropriate health-care professional.

• Make a private list of the preferences you want to discuss recording.
• Note any context you believe would help others understand those preferences.

Consider the decision-maker separately

An advance health care directive can identify someone to make health-care decisions. Choosing that person is a different planning question from deciding what preferences to put in writing. Consider whom you want identified for health-care decisions, and separately consider what guidance you want available to that person.

Be clear about the role you are addressing. The relevant health-care decision-making role is not the same planning matter as handling finances. A financial power of attorney serves a different financial role. If you also want to plan for financial matters, treat that as a separate question rather than assuming that a health-care document addresses it.

• Think separately about written health-care preferences and whom you want identified to make health-care decisions.
• If financial planning is also a concern, list it as a distinct topic to discuss.

Make the documents easier to find

Consider where you will keep relevant documents and who should know how to locate them. You may want to tell the people who could need the information that the documents exist and where you keep them. These are optional practical steps intended to make your planning easier to find; they do not determine what your preferences should be.

Preparing and keeping documents accessible is distinct from registering information about an executed directive. California has an advance health care directive registry, with information about forms and fees. Considering registration is a separate task from deciding what you want documented and how people in your life can find the documents.

• Optionally, make a note of where relevant documents are kept and who knows how to find them.
• Consider document accessibility and registry information as separate planning questions.

Plan with Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C.

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 Moreno Valley. A useful next step is to gather any existing health-care planning documents and write down the questions you want to address.

For a focused conversation, organize your questions under three headings: preferences you want recorded, the person you may want identified to make health-care decisions, and how the relevant documents can be made accessible. If financial matters are also on your mind, note those separately. This approach keeps the discussion centered on what you want communicated and the distinct roles you are considering.