Advanced Health Directives, Portland

Advanced health directives are created to better understand all the decisions that can be made in advance in terms of your healthcare based on your preferences. The findings can be made based on any medical emergency due to an injury or a severe accident. There is no age limit as to when you should make this document, and all adults have the right to create the deed to decide the kind of care they want. 

It’s also known as a medical directive, living will, or advance decision. The document consists of all the necessary decisions that need to be made to receive treatment. It is a comprehensive list of all the decisions that the person making the directive has made in advance to ensure they get the best possible care under any scenario.

Many medical emergencies could require someone to have to make a decision that could potentially be life-altering. They could be related to performing CPRs in an emergency situation, using a ventilator, the forms of comfort care, the performance of tube feeding, IV usage, or more. An advanced health directive helps you stay prepared for any of these scenarios. 

When you are drafting this document, the first thing you should do is speak to your family physician and get a full-body health check-up. This will help you better understand your current health and any future problems you may face, which will, in turn, help you prepare for the future better. You should also consider any family health-related conditions that could be genetic when you are preparing. 

The second part of creating the deed is personal considerations and preferences. You should receive the kind of treatment you want, the type of medication and surgery you are comfortable with, and which ones you are not. Getting an advanced health directive in Portland, Hillsboro and Beaverton will allow you the freedom to make these choices preemptively. 

It also alleviates the burden that family members and close relatives have to carry in case of an untimely accident or illness because they do not have to shoulder the responsibility of making important life decisions on your behalf. The amount of stress and anxiety that both you and your close ones have to deal with gets reduced. 

The third reason why getting an advanced health directive in Portland, Beaverton, and Hillsboro is important is that not having one can cause conflict within the family members. Some relatives might believe that taking a certain course of action is the best way to handle a situation, while others may not agree with it. This can cause fights and internal conflict, and it might result in you not receiving the optimal healthcare you require. An advanced health directive will give your family members exact instructions on all the procedures and treatment options you are comfortable with, thereby removing any conflict. 

There are many components to drawing up the document. The most significant part of it is choosing the healthcare options you have available to you and which ones you prefer. You also get the chance to list out the options you are uncomfortable with or do not want in terms of treatment so you can rest assured that those procedures will not be performed on you. The second part of the document is appointing a healthcare agent who will be responsible for ensuring your living will is followed in case of a medical emergency. That way, you get to choose someone you trust to make sound medical decisions in your place. 

You can also choose who you would allow as a visitor and who you would not be comfortable with within the case of hospitalization. Another part of the document can include any religious or spiritual care you would like to participate in towards the end of your life. Another thing that can be added to your advanced health directive is the choice of the hospice or retirement home that you would prefer in case you are unable to make the decision on your own.