Navigating Living Wills and Health Care Powers of Attorney with Goldberg & Goldberg

Essential Considerations for Your Advanced Medical Directives

At Goldberg & Goldberg, we understand the profound importance of planning for unforeseen medical circumstances. Our insight guides you through drafting your living will and durable power of attorney for health care, ensuring you retain control over your medical treatment preferences. Here, we highlight key factors to deliberate upon when preparing these vital documents.

Defining Your Wishes in a Living Will

A living will, or a health care declaration, is your voice when you cannot articulate your medical preferences. You need not be medically savvy to complete your living will, but knowing common medical procedures for serious conditions can inform your decisions. Our compassionate attorneys can provide the necessary information or direct you to comprehensive resources to better understand your options.

Deciding on Life-Prolonging Treatments

Your living will addresses whether you wish to receive certain life-sustaining interventions as you approach life’s end. These include:

• Blood transfusions and blood products
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• Diagnostic testing
• Dialysis
• Medication administration
• Respiratory support
• Surgical procedures

For greater insight into these treatments, Goldberg & Goldberg advises consulting with medical professionals. We’re here to help you make well-informed choices reflecting your values.

Considerations on Artificial Nutrition and Hydration

In critical situations like terminal illness or permanent coma, artificial methods may be employed to deliver nutrients and fluids. Intravenous feeding and tube feeding have various implications for short-term and indefinite sustenance. By explicitly conveying your preferences in your living will, you ensure your desires are respected. Remember, as long as you can communicate, your expressed wishes regarding sustenance will be honored.

Embracing Palliative Care

Opting to decline life-prolonging measures doesn’t necessitate forgoing comfort. Palliative care focuses on maintaining the highest quality of life and dignity till life’s natural conclusion. This care can be provided across settings, and Goldberg & Goldberg encourages you to reflect on palliative care options in your living will.

Understanding DNR Orders and POLST Forms

For individuals who prefer not to undergo life-prolonging treatment, a “Do Not Resuscitate” (DNR) order, or a POLST, might be appropriate. These documents guide emergency and medical staff in honoring your wishes during critical moments. If considering a DNR or POLST, consulting with your doctor is advisable. Goldberg & Goldberg can facilitate these discussions and ensure your advanced directives are comprehensive.

Appointing Your Health Care Proxy

Through a durable power of attorney for health care, you appoint a trusted individual to oversee medical decisions on your behalf. This power can be broad or narrow, but it’s critical to choose someone who strictly adheres to your wishes. Our attorneys can help draft a document that equips your health care proxy with the necessary authority to act in your best interest.

Posthumous Wishes: Organ Donation and Final Arrangements

Although your health care agent’s power typically ceases upon your passing, you may extend their responsibilities to include organ donation and body disposition instructions. Clear directives within your durable power of attorney ensure your posthumous preferences are fulfilled.

Setting Boundaries for Your Health Care Agent’s Role

While you retain the ability to communicate your wishes, they supersede your agent’s decisions. It’s within your rights to limit your agent’s powers. However, consider the advantages of granting comprehensive authority to adapt to unforeseen medical scenarios. Goldberg & Goldberg can aid in tailoring a power of attorney that balances autonomy with trusted assistance.

For personalized guidance on living wills and health care powers of attorney, contact Goldberg & Goldberg at (301) 654-5757. Take advantage of our Free Consultation, where we dedicate ourselves to safeguarding your medical and legal interests with empathy and professionalism.