Los Angeles Advanced Health Care Directives Lawyer

What Does an Advanced Health Care Directive Do?

California law provides you with the ability to make your health care wishes known and considered if you are not able to make those decisions yourself. This is done through a document called the "Advanced Health Care Directive." An Advanced Health Care Directives lawyer and estate planning attorney in our Los Angeles law offices may help you understand and properly complete this important form to insure that your health care wishes are followed.

By completing an Advanced Health Care Directive, California law permits you to appoint someone to be your health care "agent." Your agent is legally authorized to make decisions about your health care if you are unable to do so. In the Advanced Health Care Directive form, you may also put in writing your specific health care wishes. For instance, you may object to life-extending treatments or interventions for terminal illness, comas, or other situations. You may not wish to prolong the dying process. You can make such things known through the Advanced Health Care Directive. Your agent and your doctor must then follow your wishes.

It is not mandatory that you appoint an agent through the Advanced Health Care Directive but the California Medical Association recommends that you do. At such a critical time, having someone you trust to actively participate in decisions about your health care instead of strangers can only be beneficial and reassuring to both you and your family.

How an Advanced Health Care Directive Lawyer Can Help

In addition to completing the Advanced Health Care Directives form, you may wish to provide even more detailed instructions about your health care as written attachments. Our Advanced Health Care Directives attorneys may be able to assist you with this important additional information.