[New] Q: A:

Your friend is correct, advance directives are valuable documents that are done in advance of you needing them. A Health Care Proxy, Living Will and HIPPA are documents you can complete as part of your estate plan or on your own. Medical Orders of Life Sustaining Treatments (“MOLST”), Do Not Resuscitate (“DNR”), and Do Not Intubate (“DNI”) documents are medical orders that are signed by a physician or other appropriate medical professional.

A health care proxy is a document that states who is authorized to make medical decisions on your behalf if a doctor finds that you lack the mental capacity to make them on your own. Some choose to sign a health care proxy when they are creating their estate planning documents, while others are prompted to sign such a document when they are admitted to the hospital or undergoing a procedure or surgery. A lack of mental capacity can be temporary, for example if someone is under anesthesia, or more long-term loss, as from dementia or some other cognitive impairment. Choosing a health care agent can be difficult. The best health care agent is someone who knows your wishes and who you believe will act as you would, making the choices you would make. Remember, this person is substituting their judgment for your own. In line with a health care proxy, a HIPPA form is another document used to allow the health care proxy as well as others should you choose, to be able to discuss your health