Making Healthcare Decisions

Elder Care in Reston VA

No one wants to think about it, much less talk about it out loud, but making important healthcare decisions BEFORE the time they’re actually needed is one of the smartest, most loving things someone can do for their family. And more and more, as people enter a hospital for surgery or other visit, hospital personnel are asking if the patient has an Advance Directive (also known as healthcare power of attorney, or living will).

Basically, an Advance Directive speaks for someone to their families, friends and medical personnel about their medical wishes and end of life decisions, if they are in a position where they cannot speak for themselves. If your aging parent doesn’t have legal paperwork like a living will or Advance Directive, there’s no time like the present to discuss their wishes with them and get those wishes spelled out on paper.

There are different documents which address different things. For example, a living will specifies which medical treatments someone wants to have, or chooses to decline in the event they become permanently unconscious or are dying. A person has the right to accept or refuse any medical care. A living will can include a person’s instructions about such things as:

• The use of dialysis and breathing machines
• If someone wants to be resuscitated if their heartbeat or breathing stops
• Whether they wish to be tube fed, should it be medically necessary to sustain life
• Organ or tissue donation

A durable healthcare power of attorney is a document that names a person’s healthcare proxy. This person would make health-related decisions for someone if they were unable to make them for themselves.

Oftentimes these documents can be incorporated into one legal document. They can be downloaded and completed without using an attorney, and usually need to be signed in front of a witness or Notary Public. A couple of places from which the forms can be downloaded are: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/advancedirectives.html or http://www.caringinfo.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3289.

If you or your loved one do not feel entirely comfortable doing the forms on your own, you may want to seek out the help of an attorney, ideally one who specializes in elder care and elder law. They deal with these forms all the time in their practices and can greatly advise you and your parent on their own specific situation.

If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Reston, VA, call the caring staff at Medical Professionals On Call today. 703-273-8818

• Author
• Recent Posts

Michelle DeFilippis

I graduated with a BS degree and had been selling medical equipment to hospitals, clinics and technicians. More recently, a family member was diagnosed with dementia and we, as a family, realized we were not prepared t care for her. We were thrown into that whirlpool of hospital stays, 24/7 live-in care, skilled care, caring for mom ourselves and finally, now daily home care. This was such a stressful time that I started thinking there had to be other people, other families as overwhelmed and unprepared as we were.

Medical Professionals On Call has such a caring, professional staff who are available to step in with whatever level of care necessary for loved ones and to relieve you of that stress.

Latest posts by Michelle DeFilippis (see all)

• Do Your Parents Face More Challenges When They Live in a Rural Community? - November 6, 2019
• Ways to Ease Arthritis Symptoms in the Elderly - October 24, 2019
• Tips for a Better Life with Fibromyalgia - October 9, 2019