Choose a Health-Care Decision Maker in Jurupa Valley

Start by comparing the documents you already have

Before deciding what to change, gather the documents that may address decision-making. A health-care directive can designate an agent for health-care decisions. Financial authority and health-care authority serve different purposes, so a financial document should not be treated as a substitute for naming someone to address health-care decisions.

Make a short inventory of what you have and, if you know, whom you named. The point is not to assume that every document needs revision. It is to identify whether your current choices still match your wishes and whether you are relying on a document for a purpose it does not serve.

• Which document, if any, names the person you would want to address health-care decisions?
• Do you also have a document concerning financial authority, and are you keeping that role distinct?
• Has a change in your relationships or circumstances made you want to reconsider whom you would ask?

Choose a person who can communicate with you and others

Think about the role in practical terms, not only the person’s title. Consider whom you trust to listen carefully, communicate your wishes clearly, and ask questions when something is unclear. These are personal selection considerations, not a claim that one particular relationship or personality is legally required.

You can also consider whether you want an alternate person to discuss as part of your planning. Compare each possible choice by asking how well that person understands your priorities and whether you would feel comfortable having them communicate those priorities. Discuss how the document should reflect your choices rather than assuming that naming someone in one place answers every question about authority.

• Who would you want to speak with you about your wishes and communicate them to others?
• Who might be an alternate choice you want to discuss?
• What would each person need to understand about how you want decisions and communication handled?

Keep the agent choice separate from treatment preferences

Naming a health-care decision maker and expressing preferences about treatment are related planning questions, but they are not the same question. The directive’s agent function is to designate someone for health-care decisions. Separately, consider what you want recorded about your preferences and what you would want the person you choose to understand.

This distinction can help you identify the change you actually want. If your concern is who would communicate or make decisions, focus your discussion on the agent choice. If your concern is whether your wishes are understood, identify the preferences you want to discuss. Avoid assuming that changing the named person alone addresses every concern about what you want communicated.

Prepare for a focused planning discussion

Bring the health-care and financial documents you have, along with a note identifying the person you currently understand to be named in each. If you are unsure what a document does, mark the passage or title that raises the question rather than guessing. You can also write down the people you are considering, possible alternates, and the questions you want to resolve about communication and authority.

A useful next step is to compare your current documents with the decisions you want to make now: whom to name for health-care decisions, whom else to consider, and what preferences you want that person to understand. Codi M. Dada Law Office P.C. can discuss these planning questions with California clients virtually; the firm’s in-person office is in Novato.