Plan Who Will Make Health-Care Decisions in South Pasadena

Choose a person whose communication you trust

A health-care directive can designate an agent for health-care decisions. Your first decision is whom you want to identify for that purpose. Family relationship alone may not answer the question: consider whether you are comfortable discussing your priorities with the person and whether you trust their way of communicating when people may have different views.

These are personal selection considerations, not a test that determines what authority the document gives. If you are unsure how a particular choice would work, make that uncertainty part of the planning discussion rather than relying on assumptions about the person or the role.

• Whom would you want to identify for health-care decisions?
• Can you talk with that person about what matters to you?
• What communication concerns or unresolved questions would affect your choice?

Consider an alternate without assuming how the designation works

You may wish to discuss whether to identify an alternate. Begin by considering whom you would trust if you wanted to name another person, and whether you have explained your priorities to the people you are considering. The available legal fact is that a health-care directive can designate an agent; it does not answer how a particular alternate designation would operate.

Before settling on wording, ask what effect the proposed designation would have and what circumstances it addresses. This is especially useful if you are uncertain whether to name an alternate, have more than one person in mind, or want to understand how your choices relate to one another.

• Who might you consider as an alternate, if you want one?
• What do you want each person to understand about your priorities?
• What needs clarification about the effect of naming an alternate?

Keep health-care and financial authority distinct

Health-care authority and financial authority serve different purposes. Choosing someone for one purpose should not be treated as answering whom you want for the other. You may be considering the same person for both or different people; either way, make each decision separately and ask how the documents you are considering address the authority you intend.

The question that could change your next step is whether you are deciding only whom to designate for health-care decisions or also considering a separate financial-authority choice. If both are on your mind, list the proposed person for each and identify what remains unclear. Do not assume that one designation supplies the other kind of authority.

• Are you considering a health-care designation, a financial-authority choice, or both?
• Whom do you have in mind for each purpose?
• What do you need clarified about the authority addressed by each document?

Treat the appointment and written preferences as separate questions

Choosing whom to designate and deciding what treatment preferences you want to communicate are distinct planning topics. Naming a person does not itself tell you what preferences to express. Consider what you want the person to understand, then ask how the appointment and any written preferences relate.

This discussion is about planning and communication, not making medical recommendations. If your treatment preferences are not settled, you can identify them as an open question rather than treating the choice of agent as a substitute for addressing them.

• What would you want a decision maker to understand about what matters to you?
• Which questions concern whom to designate, and which concern preferences you want to communicate?
• What remains uncertain about how those topics relate?

Bring the questions that will shape your decision

As optional preparation, write down the person you are considering, any alternate you may want to discuss, and whether you are also considering financial authority. Add the questions you want answered about communication, the effect of a proposed designation, and treatment preferences. Mark which choices are settled and which are still open; this can help keep the conversation focused without assuming that any particular choice is required.

Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. provides virtual services throughout California from its one in-person office in Novato. For a planning discussion about a health-care decision maker in South Pasadena, bring the choices and questions that would change your next step.