Advanced Healthcare Directive Attorneys Serving Clients in Boulder, CO

Thinking about end-of-life scenarios can be difficult for our loved ones and for us. What is perhaps even more challenging are the discussions about what should be done for our care if we are ever incapacitated and unable to speak for ourselves. Whether stricken with illness, severely injured, or in some cases unconscious and barely clinging to life, these situations often require difficult decisions to be made in regard to health care.

Advance directives are legal documents that establish in clear, specific terms what an individual’s wishes for their health care should be in case they are ever incapacitated. Also known as a living will, personal directive, and medical directive, these documents can make decisions easier in the hospital and for the estate during tough times.

At the law firm Rocky Mountain Law, our estate planning attorneys can assist you through the difficult considerations that could go into crafting your own advanced healthcare directive. We understand that this can be an emotionally trying topic. Our lawyers strive to provide legal care that is both knowledgeable and compassionate. If you are concerned about your healthcare, please contact our office.

What Are Examples of Advanced Healthcare Directives?

Important components included in most advanced directives include the naming of a durable power of attorney and clearly established wishes regarding resuscitation.

Examples of advance healthcare directives include:

• Do Not Resuscitate Orders: A DNR can tell your medical providers your wishes regarding certain life-saving measures to take (or not take) to revive you.
• Durable Power of Attorney: In the state of Colorado, every power of attorney document is considered ‘durable’ unless language written into the form expressly contradicts this. A durable power of attorney, or medical power of attorney, names an agent to act in your best interests while making decisions regarding your medical care when you are no longer able to do so.
• Living Wills: The living will is a legal document that establishes one’s wishes for medical treatment when they are no longer able to speak for themselves. Living wills typically do not go into effect until an end-of-life scenario in which a person is terminally ill or potentially permanently unconscious.
• POLST: Emergency medical teams can’t use an advanced directive, but they can refer to Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST). This form is signed by you and a primary member of your healthcare team to establish your medical wishes.