Rabu, 12 September 2012

Health Care Surrogate Basics


An important aspect of Estate Planning concerns who will make decisions for your care when you can no longer make decisions for yourself. This is done with a health care surrogate designation and health care power of attorney. In addition, end-of-life decisions can be considered with a living will or advance directive.

Choosing a health care surrogate needs to be done with sensitivity. You must absolutely trust someone to make medical decisions based on your wishes. After all, this person will need to shoulder the responsibility making significant decisions for you and following your end-of-life, regardless of their own desire.


Although you might have a close friend or family member, you have to think about whether this person could handle your wishes in a tough situation. This individual might have to go against what they believe by making a decision completely based on what your desires are. This could be a difficult role but one that is rewarding as well since you know you're honoring another persons wishes.


There are several things to consider when you are a health care surrogate. The first and foremost thing is good communication. The surrogate must know exactly what your wishes are without any questions whatsoever. This person must also be someone you can confide in and talk openly with about anything since he or she could be making important decisions regarding your medical care. Another aspect of all this is to have all of your wishes written down on a legally blinding document. If you don't have this health care surrogate designation and your wishes documented, your family could wind up in a tough spot battling with medical professionals.


Naming someone to be your surrogate is vital, but you should also think about the kind of care you desire at the end of your life. We are all aware that thinking about the end of our lives is no fun task. That is why most people put it off because they don't want to even think about it. One way to look at it is that you should think about how you wish to live the rest of your life rather than dwelling on death.


There have been plenty of news stories in the media that have made us more aware of the difficult situations that could arise before and upon death. For instance, the Terry Schiavo case involved a woman in a coma whose husband and relatives battled for 14 years over what to do for her. If you make certain decisions early enough, you can prevent difficult circumstances from occurring with your own family and friends when your time is up.


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