You’re in the hospital all alone, they’re rushing you into surgery, your mind is foggy, and you can’t even answer simple questions. What’s going to happen? Hopefully, you have an Advance Health Care Directive on file.
New laws require that doctors and hospitals keep records electronically, so if your Health Care Directive is on file, they’ll know who to call. If not, the staff member trying to contact your family may have trouble figuring out who to reach.
I can’t stress enough how important this short document is. The Advance Health Care Directive tells doctors and hospital staff who to contact and names the person YOU want to make decisions for you when you can’t. It also outlines your wishes—whether you want to be on a ventilator, receive artificial nutrition or hydration, or undergo CPR. These are tough decisions, and it’s critical that someone who knows your preferences is in charge.
If you want to ensure that, if you end up in the hospital alone, the right person will be contacted and they’ll know what to do, give me a call.
