Living Wills & Healthcare Directives

Your Voice in Medical Decisions

One of the most profound gifts you can give your loved ones is the clarity of your wishes regarding your medical care, especially during times of crisis. At George Browning III PA, we believe that creating a Living Will and other crucial healthcare directives is not just a legal formality; it is an act of foresight and compassion that ensures your voice is heard and your autonomy is respected, even if you cannot speak for yourself. These documents remove the agonizing burden of difficult decisions from your family during emotionally trying times, allowing them to focus on your care rather than guessing your preferences.

A Living Will (also often referred to as an Advance Directive for Healthcare or a Directive to Physicians) is a legal document that articulates your desires concerning medical treatments and life-sustaining procedures if you become terminally ill, permanently unconscious, or in an end-stage condition where you cannot communicate your wishes. It empowers you to make choices about the type of medical care you would want, or wouldn’t want, in specific circumstances.

We sit down with you to have a deeply personal and often sensitive conversation about your values, beliefs, and preferences regarding medical intervention. This includes discussing topics such as:

• Life-Sustaining Treatment: Your choices regarding treatments like mechanical ventilation (breathing machines), artificial hydration and nutrition (feeding tubes), kidney dialysis, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
• Pain Management: Your wishes regarding comfort care and pain relief.
• Organ Donation: Your decision to donate organs or tissues.

Our role is to ensure your Living Will is clear, legally valid in your state, and precisely reflects your deeply held beliefs. We translate your personal preferences into an unambiguous legal document, providing peace of mind that your autonomy will be preserved.

Beyond the Living Will, we also help you establish other essential healthcare directives that complement your planning:

• Healthcare Power of Attorney (or Healthcare Proxy): This document appoints a trusted individual, known as your healthcare agent or proxy, to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so yourself. This is distinct from a Living Will, as it grants authority to an agent to make any necessary medical decisions, not just end-of-life choices. Your agent can communicate with doctors, consent to or refuse treatments, and access your medical records. We help you choose the right person for this critical role—someone who understands your values, can advocate for you, and can make tough decisions under pressure.
• HIPAA Authorization: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects your medical privacy. Without a specific HIPAA authorization in place, your chosen healthcare agent or even close family members may be denied access to your medical information. We include this authorization as a vital component of your healthcare directives, ensuring your agent can communicate effectively with your medical providers.
• Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Orders: While a Living Will might express your desire to decline CPR in certain situations, a DNR order is a medical order signed by a doctor that explicitly tells emergency medical personnel not to perform CPR if your heart or breathing stops. This is a medical directive that is often implemented in a hospital or hospice setting, and we can discuss how it integrates with your broader wishes.

We understand that these are incredibly personal decisions that require sensitive discussion. George Browning III PA provides a supportive and confidential environment where you can express your concerns and articulate your wishes without judgment. We explain the legal implications of each choice, ensuring you are fully informed and confident in the documents you create.

By proactively putting these healthcare directives in place, you provide your family with invaluable clarity during potentially agonizing moments. They won’t have to guess what you would have wanted or bear the sole burden of making life-or-death decisions. Instead, they can honor your clear instructions, knowing they are fulfilling your wishes. Creating your Living Will and other healthcare directives with George Browning III PA is an essential step towards true peace of mind, for you and for those you love.