An Experienced Sarasota Lawyer Who Can Help You with Your Healthcare Directives and Living Will

Drafting advance healthcare directives for your peace of mind

We all have the right to dictate how we should be cared for if certain medical conditions or illnesses affect us severely. It’s important to have an advance healthcare directive (sometimes called the healthcare proxy) in place to ensure that your wishes are upheld. This agreement may also name another person to make these decisions when you can no longer do so yourself. At Lyons, Beaudry & Harrison, P.A. in Sarasota County, our dependable, board-certified attorneys in estate planning help you create healthcare directives that integrate seamlessly with your wants and needs.

The process of creating healthcare directives and living wills

An advance healthcare directive outlines wishes for medical treatment and the procedures you do and do not want performed on you. An advance healthcare directive may include the designation of a healthcare surrogate and a living will.

Drafting these documents and making these decisions is an important part of estate planning.

The process of creating a healthcare directive has many steps, including:

• Sign and witness. A written healthcare directive must be signed and witnessed by two people, who also sign it. Only one of the witnesses may be a spouse or blood relative.  The designated healthcare surrogate cannot act as a witness.
• Choose a surrogate. Illness is difficult to predict, and you may not be able to anticipate everything that might befall you. It’s wise, therefore, to choose a healthcare surrogate who makes decisions for you if you become incapacitated. If you have a power of attorney agreement in place, you may want the same person to take on this responsibility.
• Notify. Make sure your doctor knows you have a healthcare directive, and keep a copy in your home. It’s also helpful to have a card with you at all times that lets others know you have a directive and identifies your surrogate.

Meet with a dedicated Sarasota healthcare directive lawyer today

For strong legal advice on setting up an advance healthcare directive or a living will, contact the attorneys at Lyons, Beaudry & Harrison today. Call us at 941-444-6407 or contact us online to get started. Our office is conveniently located on Main Street in Sarasota.