In light of recent events, many people are thinking about their own end-of-life medical decisions and how to make sure they are honored. Harvard Medical School’s newly updated Guide to Living Wills and Health Care Proxies addresses just these issues.This clear, easy-to-understand report gives you all the information you need, including:
·Descriptions of living wills and health care proxies, and advice on which you should prepare
·Information on how to choose your health care agent, the person who will make decisions if you become incapacitated
·Tips on how to talk about this difficult subject
·Details on medical interventions you may want to think about
·Worksheets that will help you clarify your wishes for end-of-life care
·Instructions on each state’s legal requirements
·The forms you need to fill out (and directions for finding state-specific forms).
A Guide to Living Wills and Health Care Proxies helps you know and protect your rights. “Many of my patients know about health care proxies and living wills and recognize their value. Yet they also imagine that these forms will be difficult to understand, or require a lawyer’s help, and so they just don’t get around to doing anything about it,” says Dr. Anthony Komaroff, Editor in Chief of Harvard Medical School’s publications division. “Our goal with this report is to explain what people need to know, and to give them the tools to create a health care proxy or living will in just a few hours, on their own.”
“Even if you’re in perfect health, you never know when life may throw a medical emergency your way,” Dr. Komaroff adds. “That’s why it’s so important to understand the types of forms you need and how to make your wishes known.”
A Guide to Living Wills and Health Care Proxies is available for $14 from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School. Order it online at www.health.harvard.edu/LW or by calling 1-877–649–9457 (toll free).
© 2005 HealthNewsDigest.com