Choose a Health-Care Decision Maker in Chino

Choose someone who can communicate your priorities

Selecting a health-care decision maker involves more than choosing someone close to you. Consider who could listen carefully, communicate clearly, and handle difficult conversations in a way that reflects your priorities. These are personal planning considerations, not legal qualifications.

Before deciding, you may want to ask a potential agent whether they are comfortable with the role and what they understand about your wishes. A conversation can reveal differences in expectations while there is time to discuss them. Consider who you would want this person to contact or keep informed, and whether that communication would be practical for everyone involved.

• Who do you trust to understand and communicate your priorities?
• Would this person be comfortable having difficult conversations?
• Who else would you want included in communications, and what would you want shared?

Think through a first choice and an alternate

You may also want to consider who you would prefer if your first choice could not take on the role. Discussing that possibility with both people can help you identify unanswered questions about how you want them to communicate and what information they should understand.

As an optional preparation step, write down your proposed first choice, a possible alternate, and the people you would want kept informed. Treat the list as a starting point for discussion, not as a substitute for understanding what a document says. If family members have different expectations, note the specific point of disagreement so it can be addressed directly.

• Have you spoken with the people you are considering?
• Who should others contact first, and who should be kept informed?
• What would you want each person to understand about your priorities?

Clarify the questions about treatment preferences

Choosing who should communicate for you and deciding what you want to say about treatment are useful questions to consider separately during planning. Rather than assuming that an appointment answers every question you have, identify what you want a decision maker to understand and what preferences you want to discuss.

You can prepare by writing down questions or priorities you want to raise, without trying to turn them into medical instructions. For example, you might ask how to communicate your preferences to the person you are considering, or what additional planning conversation would help you express them. This page does not provide medical recommendations.

• What would you want the person you select to understand about your preferences?
• What questions do you want to discuss about communicating those preferences?
• Are there expectations that should be clarified with the people involved?

Keep health-care and financial roles distinct

Health-care authority and financial authority serve different purposes. If you are reviewing more than one planning document, identify what role each document is intended to address and list questions about how the documents relate. A useful discussion begins with the purpose of each role rather than assuming that one document addresses every kind of decision.

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 Chino. For a planning conversation, you may bring your questions about a proposed agent, possible alternate, communication preferences, and the purpose of any related documents.