When making end-of-life care plans in Pennsylvania, one of the most important steps to take involves preparing certain critical documents. You can use the following documents to tell family members and doctors what type of medical treatment you want if you are incapacitated and to designate a person who can make decisions for you.
Living Wills in Pennsylvania
A living will is a document that tells health care providers whether you want certain types of care if you are dying or in a coma. This includes any “life-sustaining” treatments that cannot cure you but can keep you alive for a time. Examples include:
- CPR
- Mechanical respirators
- Kidney dialysis
If you don’t have a living will, doctors and family members won’t know whether you want treatments to keep you alive when they can no longer cure you. If you don’t want to receive that type of treatment, you can use a living will to make that clear.
A living will takes effect when:
- You are either in an end-stage condition or permanently unconscious
- Your doctor has concluded that you cannot make your own decisions
An end-stage condition is an irreversible medical condition characterized by permanent, severe deterioration. A doctor will only conclude that you are in an end-stage condition if they conclude that further medical treatment cannot help you.
Health Care Power of Attorney
A durable power of attorney for health care is a document that designates a person of your choice to make medical decisions for you if you become incapacitated. This person is called your agent or attorney-of-fact, but they don’t need to be an attorney. Most people choose their spouse, an adult child, a sibling, or a trusted friend. You can choose any adult except:
- Your health care provider, unless they are related to you
- Anyone who works at the facility where you are receiving treatment, unless they are related to you
Other Documents You May Want
Other documents you may want to create include:
- A physician order for life-sustaining treatment, which gives more specific instructions than a living will
- A power of attorney for finances
- A do not resuscitate order
A do not resuscitate order is a document stating that:
- If you suffer a cardiac arrest, your medical team should not attempt to revive you
- If you stop breathing, your medical team should not attempt to revive you
You can ask your doctor to create a DNR and include it in your medical records, but it is not as comprehensive as a living will. If you want to be sure that your health care providers understand what care you do and do not want, a living will is the most effective way to do that.
Contact a Pennsylvania Elder Law Attorney Today
If you don’t have any end-of-life documents prepared, an experienced Pennsylvania elder law attorney can help. Kreisher Marshall & Associates, LLC, is dedicated to providing quality legal representation to families all over central Pennsylvania. If you need help with end-of-life documents in Pennsylvania, contact us today to get started with a consultation.