Advance Health Care Directives and Living Wills for Fortuna Residents

Separate treatment preferences from choosing a decision-maker

An advance health care directive can serve two related but distinct purposes: expressing your health-care wishes and identifying someone to make health-care decisions. Written instructions communicate your preferences; naming an agent addresses who may make decisions. Thinking through both topics can help you explain what you want from the document without treating them as the same choice.

This page focuses on documenting treatment preferences and making the information accessible to people who may need it. If you are still deciding whom to identify as a health-care decision-maker, consider that as a separate discussion rather than letting it replace consideration of your written wishes.

Gather your thoughts before the consultation

There is no need to arrive with polished legal language. For a productive remote conversation, collect the information and questions that will help clarify what you want your directive to say. These are preparation ideas, not a required checklist.

• Write down the health-care preferences you want to discuss, using your own words. Note any points where you are uncertain or would like help understanding how to express a preference.
• Consider who you expect may need to know that a directive exists or locate it. Think about how those people could learn where the document is kept.
• If you already have relevant documents, make a note of what they are and where they are stored so you can discuss how they fit into your planning.
• Bring questions about the difference between recording your wishes and identifying someone to make decisions. You can also ask how to keep the document accessible after it is prepared.

Make accessibility part of the plan

Preparing a directive and keeping relevant documents accessible are practical parts of planning. A document that cannot be found when needed may not communicate your preferences to the people who are looking for it. Consider, in advance, how you will let appropriate people know where the document is kept and how they can locate it.

Registration is a separate topic from preparing and keeping documents accessible. California provides a registry for advance health care directives; registration concerns information about an executed directive. It does not replace thinking about how the relevant document itself will be available to people who may need it.

Keep financial authority distinct

An advance health care directive concerns health-care wishes and health-care decisions. A financial power of attorney has a different role: it concerns financial matters. Do not assume that a document addressing one role communicates instructions or authority for the other.

If your questions extend to both health-care preferences and financial matters, identify each topic separately for the consultation. This distinction can make it clearer which document or planning question you are asking about, without treating the documents as substitutes.

Plan a focused next conversation

Before meeting remotely, choose the questions you most want answered: how to express a particular preference, how written wishes relate to the person identified to make decisions, and how to keep the document findable. If you have an existing directive, note what you want to revisit rather than assuming it already addresses every current concern.

Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. serves Fortuna residents virtually from its Novato-based practice. A focused list of preferences, uncertainties, and accessibility questions can help you use the consultation to discuss the document’s purpose and how it fits your planning.