Life is filled with awkward conversations. From the birds and the bees to end-of-life wishes, it can be hard to make the time to talk about tough issues. But when people are able to talk about the important things in life, it can go that much more smoothly when the inevitable bumps and upsets happen. That’s why a recent news article urges people in California and other states to have the conversation with their family about health care directives.
The article encourages people to start talking about their end-of-life care concerns early and often. They should share their wishes with family, friends and physicians in order to increase the likelihood that their wishes will be honored when the time comes to make sudden decisions regarding health care. Another important part of this process is creating the advance health care directive.
Health care directives are documents that are legally binding. They come with two important components: the health care agent and a list of conditions in which one does or does not want their life supported. One can choose to complete their own health care directive prior to the conversation with their family to make the situation less awkward.
When the time comes to make important health care decisions, it is already too late to make health care directives. One’s family may not be prepared to make the decisions that must be made. This is why making the health car directive while one is healthy is so important. In the state of California, a lawyer can be of aid when creating a health care directive. An attorney can ensure that the document is properly filed so that it will be legally binding.
Source: lbpost.com, “Have You Had the Conversation?”, Katy Hyman, June 23, 2017
