LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
If you were in a coma, who would make medical decisions for you? If you were "brain dead," would you want life sustaining treatment to be withdrawn? If you were near the end of your life, would you want to die at home instead of the hospital?
For many people these are difficult questions. However, April 16 is the third annual National Healthcare Decisions Day. This presents an excellent opportunity for everyone, young and old, to take steps to make important medical decisions in advance.
The Langley legal office provides two important documents to eligible legal assistance clients. First, the living will allows an individual to declare that in the event they are in a permanent vegetative state, then life-sustaining treatment is to be withdrawn. Your family has peace of mind knowing that you consciously made the decisions ahead of time to withdraw treatment, even knowing the risks and consequences.
Second, the legal office can provide you with a durable health care power of attorney. This document is typically seven to ten pages long and allows you to name an agent to make medical decisions for you if you were temporarily or permanently incapacitated. Someone can become incapacitated because of a combat or other injury, inability to speak or communicate, coma, dementia, or because of other conditions. Your agent, or attorney-in-fact, is authorized to see your medical information and be fully advised of your condition, and then to make medical decisions on your behalf. The agent should be someone you trust to have access to your personal medical information, and to make crucial medical decisions on your behalf.
Once your legal assistance attorney drafts a document on behalf of a client, the client takes the document home to review it and ensure it reflects their wishes. The client receives an appointment to return on either a Wednesday morning or a Thursday afternoon to sign the documents. If necessary, the documents are notarized.
Accidents and the natural aging process can be very stressful for the family of the person who has become incapacitated. With a little strategic advanced planning, you can make a potential crisis much easier on your family, and ensure that your wishes are known and respected.
During the next week, please take a few minutes to think about getting a living will or health care power of attorney. The Langley legal office serves clients on a walk-in basis on Mondays from 2 to 4 p.m., on Wednesdays from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., and on Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m. The legal office can be reached at 764-3277. You can also fill out an online advanced medical directive worksheet at
www.aflegalassistance.com.