April 16th is National Healthcare Decisions Day. Do you have an executed Durable Medical Power of Attorney? Do you have a Living Will? Have you discussed these issues with your family and loved ones? These are not pleasant or easy issues to confront and there are no “right” answers, just “your” answers.
No one wants to believe anything bad could happen to them, the very issue that confronted the spouse and parents of Terri Schiavo whose case went to the Supreme Court because she lacked these documents. Regardless of what course of action you believe should have occurred, the fact remains that this painful experience could have been totally avoided had she executed these two documents. Most importantly, all would have known that what was done was what she wanted.
DO THIS NOW! Don’t put it off! If you need copies of these documents, here are three sources:
- go to http://www.uslivingwillregistry.com/forms.shtm;
- go to a local hospital and ask the Legal or Patient Advocacy office for state-compliant forms;
- if you are a Kansas or Missouri resident, contact me at jari@majesticwolf.com and I can forward you sample forms.
Keep in mind that HIPAA privacy laws make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for you to access patient information as an advocate without a Durable Medical Power of Attorney. Not only are you doing yourself a service, you are sparing your family the agony of one of life’s greatest and most difficult decisions.
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