Advance Health Care Directives in Alto, Marin County

Be clear about what the document is meant to communicate

An advance health care directive can express health-care wishes and identify someone to make health-care decisions. Those are related, but distinct, functions. If your immediate concern is written treatment preferences, focus first on what you want the document to communicate. If you are also addressing who may make decisions, consider that separately rather than assuming that written preferences answer every question about the decision-maker.

This page focuses on communicating health-care wishes and making the relevant document accessible; it is not a guide to selecting an agent. A financial power of attorney has a different role and concerns financial matters, not the health-care role described here. Keeping these purposes distinct can help prevent confusion about what a document is intended to do.

• Write down the preferences you want others to understand, in your own words, as preparation for a planning discussion.
• Separately note whether you want to address who may make health-care decisions.

Make access part of the plan

A document can express your preferences, but the people who may need it also need a practical way to locate it. Consider where the current document is kept, who knows where it is, and whom family members should contact if they have questions. These are useful planning questions, not additional legal requirements.

For example, you might tell a family member where the document is stored and explain who is identified to make health-care decisions. That is one possible way to make the information easier to find; each person can decide what access arrangement fits their circumstances. If you update your preferences, consider how people who know about an earlier document will learn where to find the current one.

• Gather the relevant document and note where it is kept.
• Consider who should know how to locate it and who is identified to make health-care decisions.
• Check whether the preferences you want to communicate are still accurately represented.

Understand the difference between access and registry information

Preparing and keeping relevant documents accessible is distinct from registering information about an executed advance health care directive. The California Secretary of State provides information about its advance health care directive registry. Registration information and access to the document address different practical questions; one should not be assumed to replace the other.

Before considering registry information, identify what you are trying to accomplish. Are you looking into registering information about an executed directive, or making sure that people who may need the document know how to find it? These questions can be considered separately. Consult current registry information if you want to understand that option.

Prepare focused questions for a planning conversation

Gather any existing advance health care directive or other document you want to discuss. Note whether it communicates the preferences you intend, where it is kept, and any uncertainty about access or registry information. You can also list questions about the separate role of the person identified to make health-care decisions. Bringing those points together can help keep the discussion focused without presuming that a particular document or arrangement is right for you.

Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. has one physical office at 802 Grant Ave in Novato and provides virtual services throughout California, including Alto. A conversation can help you identify planning questions to address. General information cannot determine which health-care preferences or arrangements are right for your individual circumstances.