Question

Please explain the purpose, benefits, and legal ramifications of living wills, medical power of attorney, and advance directives

Answer 1

Living wills, healthcare power of attorney and advanced dirdctive helps to describe a person’s choices or preferences for end-of-life care. These legal directives speak for the patient when he is not able to speak for himself.

Living wills and advance directives are written, legal documents that states a person’s preferences for medical care in situations when he is unable to make decisions for himself.

These are important in case when a person is terminally ill, seriously injured, in a coma, in the late stages of dementia or near the end of life and cannot speak and make decisions for himself. This will help relieve caregivers of decision-making burdens. It will also reduce confusion or disagreement about the patient’s choices on medical care.

A living will documents medical treatments a person would and would not want to be used to keep him alive. It also includes decisions such as pain management, organ donation, resuscitation, mechanical ventilator, tube feed, dialysis, palliative care. It also includes DNR orders.

Advanced directives are legal writings which includes directions to the medical staff and doctors about the medical care choices a person wants when he is ill or during end of his life. They also contains preferences on medical services like pain management, use of antibiotics, transfer to emergency room, mechanical ventilation, tube feed. It also states the name of the health care agent or Proxy.

Medical power of attorney says the name of the person who can decide on medical care and services to be given to a person when he can not speak for himself. The medical power of attorney can be a spouse/ partner, friend, family member or any other person who knows the patient well enough to take decisions for him.