Young adults may encounter unexpected situations like a severe accident or illness that leaves them incapable of making medical decisions. Healthcare directives and living wills are legal documents that tell doctors and family members what kind of medical care you want if you cannot tell them yourself.
In Mississippi, these documents are part of the “Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act.” These documents help your family and doctors make decisions that align with your preferences. They can reduce stress and conflict for your loved ones during difficult times.
What are healthcare directives and living wills?
A living will, also called an “individual instruction, ” tells doctors what treatments you want or don’t want if you’re sick or injured. For example, you can say if you wish to be kept on life support.
A healthcare directive can include a living will and a “power of attorney for health care.” This lets you choose someone to make medical decisions if you can’t make them yourself.
How to create valid healthcare directives in Mississippi
To create a healthcare directive with a power of attorney, the individual known as the principal must write, date, and sign the document. Two adult witnesses, including one unrelated to the principal, must also sign the document, or a notary public must acknowledge it. In your healthcare directive, you can specify your healthcare preferences and decisions, such as:
- If you want life-support treatments
- Who do you want to make decisions for you
- What kind of pain management do you want
You can change or cancel your healthcare directive at any time. Just tell someone you want to cancel it. You can also make a new directive that says different things. Mississippi provides an official form for an advance healthcare directive, which includes sections for a durable power of attorney for healthcare and instructions for your healthcare preferences.
Creating healthcare directives can be confusing. Laws can be hard to understand, and you want to ensure your documents are valid. An estate planning lawyer can help you understand and create these documents correctly.
Even though you’re still young, it’s wise to plan. A healthcare directive can reduce stress for your family if something happens to you and give you peace of mind knowing you’re prepared. It’s never too early to plan for your future health care.