ADVANCE HEALTH DIRECTIVES
An Advance Health Directive allows a person to elect which specific medical treatments they will and will not consent to, in the event that they lose mental capacity. This is different to an Enduring Power of Attorney, as you do not name an individual person to make decisions for you.
Many people prefer the option of an Advance Health Directive, as they do not want to put the responsibility of decision-making on one person, particularly if they are suffering from a terminal illness.
Often people are also very specific about their preferences for medical treatment. These people want the peace of mind of knowing what treatments they will and will not receive if the situation arises.
DID YOU KNOW
An Advance Health Directive can be customised to your specific wishes.
You can nominate all of your preferences for medical treatment, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, intubation, life support, resuscitation and intravenous feeding.
You can chose to have both an Advance Health Directive and an Enduring Power of Guardianship in place if you wish. Your Guardian will be responsible for all medical decisions which are not addressed specifically on your Advance Health Directive.
DID YOU KNOW
You can use an Advance Health Directive to ensure that your medical treatment recognises and respects your religious and cultural beliefs.
As an example, people of certain faiths may elect to remove consent to blood transfusions.
You can provide a copy of your Advance Health Directive to your treating physician for safe keeping.
DID YOU KNOW
An Advance Health Directive is one and the same as a Living Will.
Advance Health Directive is the formal and legal name of the document which is recognised under Western Australian legislation.
Contact Coast Wills & Estate Law to make your Advance Health Directive or Book Online now.