- Providing medical decisions that aren't covered in your healthcare declaration.
- Enforcing your healthcare wishes in court if necessary.
- Access to medical records.
- Visitation rights.
- Hiring and firing doctors and medical workers seeing to your treatment.
Some state laws combine the living will and the durable power of attorney for healthcare into one document called an "advance health care directive". Ask your attorney about this.
What is a DNR?
Do Not Resuscitate Orders is a DNR. One of the most important parts of your living will is to state clearly your wishes regarding A DNR. You can request that your doctor adds a DNR to your medical records and you should also create a pre-hospital DNR to keep nearby to prevent paramedics or your health care facility from trying to resuscitate you.
powers of attorney
Powers of attorney is an important instrument in estate planning. It is too late after something has happened since accidents are never planned. Taking your time to plan is wise, iniate a plan is even wiser. Learn the difference between nondurable and durable powers of attorney and decide whch one is best for you.
An estate plan may also encompass various 'powers of attorney'. Power of attorney is how certain decisions about a person's health and medical care may be made by a designated person, once the person is incapacitated mentally (irreversible) to make decisions financially, and medically. For example: latter stages of Alzheimer's disease, or in a coma would be typical examples of a justified power of attorney to become active and executed. another situation is to whether to remain on artificial life support. Michigan durable power of attorney laws give the designate individual the power to withhold or withdraw life-saving treatment, as long as such wishes are clearly articulated in a living will.
NOTE: A durable power of attorney is an instrument that is similar to a living will except that it gives authority to a named individual to decide whether or not to begin or discontinue artificial life support.
The person with a durable power of attorney for healthcare can never contradict the terms of your living will. Rather, that person is there to fill in gaps, for situations not covered by your living will, or in case your living will is invalidated for any reason.
There are two fundamental documents that need to be executed during your life to ensure that you receive the kind of healthcare you want if you are ever incapacitated or unable to make decisions or communicate your decisions. The first is commonly called a living will, an advanced directive, or a patient advocate designation, or something similar. Regardless of their name, these documents allow you to instruct physicians and health care providers about the kind of health care you want and don't want if you are unable to tell them yourself. The second document sets out who has power of attorney for your healthcare decisions so that they may answer questions that may not be addressed by your living will.
Power of Attorney for Healthcare and the Advanced Directive:
Depending on your state, the person you grant a durable power of attorney for healthcare will typically be called your "agent," "proxy," "attorney-in-fact", "patient advocate" or "surrogate". The typical rights for this person include: