An unexpected illness or injury could easily leave anyone in a difficult situation. In some cases, health conditions can leave a person unable to express his or her wishes for care, and someone else must do so. The idea of leaving these decisions in the hands of another can certainly seem scary, but fortunately, California residents can create health care directives for this purpose.
A health care directive is a way for individuals to provide instructions for care for certain scenarios. For example, if a person is in a likely terminal situation, he or she may not want any resuscitation efforts made or may not want to be left on life support. This information can be placed in an advance directive so that loved ones can know what the person wants.
In addition to leaving specific instructions, people can also appoint a health care power of attorney agent. This person can act on the incapacitated party’s behalf to make important medical decisions. The agent will follow any guidelines left in an advance directive and could have the authority to make care-related decisions in the event that the incapacitated party did not leave specific instructions for a particular scenario.
Health care directives can be a useful safeguard for anyone. A person’s health could take a negative turn at any moment, so having these instructions in place could bring peace of mind to California residents and their families. Knowing a loved one’s wishes can make a difficult situation just a little easier in most cases.
