National Health Care Decisions Day was Friday, April 16th! Health Care decisions involve decisions for all adults from the age of 18. To date, 60% of Americans have yet to document their health care decisions.
If you are in the 40% – Bravo! How about this year, we all make an effort to make sure we have up to date health care decisions made?!
Health Care Decisions are Personal
Yes, these decisions are highly personal. Yes, these decisions are SO important. Yes, we can change our minds after we make an initial decision. Health has come into strong focus in the past year and having people named to help us when we need it takes a burden off our shoulders. The following list will help you get going.
- Who are your In Case of Emergency (ICE) contacts?
- Who have you selected to be notified by your doctor, should medical conditions arise?
- If you are living and unable to speak or make decisions for yourself, who have you selected to speak for you?
- Have you defined what quality of life means to you?
- Would you like your life to be prolonged if you are unable to maintain breathing on your own?
- If your brain activity or your heart stops, would you want to be resuscitated?
Laws Differ by State
Laws apply to you based on your official state of residence. Estate Planning Attorneys can help you draft up the appropriate documents. There is a sense of relief when we complete this project!
The American Bar Association provides an Advance Care Toolkit to help you understand the decisions we face. Click on the links below for more detailed information.
American Bar Association Advance Care Planning Toolkit
- How to Select Your Health Care Agent or Proxy
- How Do You Weigh Odds of Survival?
- Personal Priorities and Spiritual Values Important to Your Medical Decisions
- After Death Decisions to Think About Now
- Conversation Scripts: Getting Past the Resistance
- The Proxy Quiz for Family & Physician
- What to Do After Signing Your Health Care Advance Directive
- Guide for Health Care Proxies
- Resources: Advance Planning for Health Care
State Specific Resources
State Specific Resources
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Health decisions are a part of estate planning. Until we see a marked improvement from the graph above, I’ll keep writing about and working on this.
Let’s make sure you have the information and courage to proceed with developing and implementing plans for you, your families and your work. And this week, check in on your family and friends. Life is precious …
For additional information about me, check out my website: https://thelivingplanner.com or Email me: Lynn@thelivingplanner.com.
Take care of you –Lynn
#CareForPeople #StepInStepUp #LifeHacks