Advance Health Care Directives and Living Wills for Sutter Creek Residents

Decide what you want the document to do

Start with the purpose that matters most to you. You may want to put your health-care wishes in writing, identify someone to make health-care decisions, or address both in an advance health care directive. These functions can be considered together, but written instructions and choosing a decision-maker are not the same choice.

If your main concern is communicating treatment preferences, focus the conversation on what you want recorded and how those wishes should be understandable to the people who may need them. If your main concern is who would speak for you, consider that separately. A person named to make health-care decisions is not a substitute for clearly expressing preferences you want documented.

• Which health-care wishes do you want others to know?
• Do you also want to identify someone to make health-care decisions?
• Would addressing both purposes in one directive meet your goals?

Understand the limits and alternatives

An advance health care directive can express health-care wishes and identify someone to make health-care decisions. It does not serve the same purpose as a financial power of attorney, which concerns financial matters. If your planning question is about managing money rather than health-care choices, that is a different document and discussion.

A written directive communicates what you choose to record; it does not make every preference or future situation self-explanatory. Consider whether the wording reflects your intentions and whether the people who may need the document can understand what it says. A document addressing health-care wishes also does not, by itself, answer questions about financial authority.

• Written health-care wishes: consider what you want documented.
• Health-care decision-maker: consider whether you want to identify someone for that role.
• Financial decisions: recognize that a financial power of attorney serves a different role.

Make the information findable

A document can be useful only if the relevant people can locate its information when needed. As a practical preparation step, think about who should know where your directive is kept and how you will make the information accessible. You can also consider whether keeping a copy in a place you can readily identify would help you manage your records.

Preparing and keeping the relevant documents accessible is different from registering information about an executed directive. Registration is not a substitute for creating the document or ensuring that people who may need it can access the information. Consider these as separate planning steps rather than assuming one automatically accomplishes the other.

• Decide where you will keep the directive and how you will keep track of it.
• Consider who should know how to find the information.
• Treat document preparation, accessibility, and registration as distinct considerations.

Prepare for a focused planning conversation

Before discussing a directive, write down the preferences you want to communicate and the questions you have about recording them. If you are considering naming someone to make health-care decisions, note that as a separate goal so the discussion can address both functions without confusing them. You do not need to resolve every question in advance; a clear list of priorities can help identify what you still need to decide.

Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. provides virtual services to clients throughout California. A useful next step is to contact the firm to discuss your goals for documenting health-care wishes, identifying a decision-maker, or both.