Houston Advance Medical Directives Attorneys

Advance Medical Directives Lawyer in Houston, TX

An advance medical directive is a legal document that tells your healthcare providers what type of care you would or would not want in a situation where you are unable to communicate your wishes. In Texas, there are multiple types of advance medical directives you can use, including a living will, a Declaration for Mental Health Treatment, and an Out-of-Hospital Do Not Resuscitate Order. It is important to have these documents in place, no matter how young or old or healthy or sick you are. While these documents tend to become most relevant towards the end of an elderly person's life, anyone can experience a sudden medical emergency that leaves him or her temporarily or permanently incapacitated.

The Fealy Law Firm, PC is experienced in guiding people through the process of creating these critical documents. Experienced attorney Vicky Fealy will take the time to understand what your wishes would be regarding emergency or end-of-life care so that she can help you clearly express your preferences in a legal document. Attorney Fealy treats incapacity planning as an essential part of estate planning.

Healthcare Power of Attorney

A healthcare power of attorney designates the person you would want to make any medical decisions you have not already made for yourself if you were to become incapacitated. You can limit the power of your healthcare surrogate so that he or she cannot make decisions that would go against your wishes.

You should choose your healthcare surrogate carefully and make sure you have discussed your end-of-life wishes with him or her. It is important to choose someone you trust to make decisions based on what you would want.

Living Wills

A living will is the document most people think of when they hear about advance medical directives. This is the document you can use to clearly state what types of treatment you would or would not accept in a situation where you are both terminally ill and unable to express your wishes. You may decide, for example, whether you would want to receive chemotherapy or invasive surgery to prolong your life and whether you would accept life support following brain death.

These are highly personal decisions that may be influenced by your religion, culture, or spiritual beliefs. It is a good idea to discuss these topics in depth with your closest loved ones, especially the person you name in your healthcare power of attorney.

Out-of-Hospital Do Not Resuscitate Order

This specific type of advance medical directive is most commonly used by people who are elderly or terminally ill. You can use this order to direct emergency personnel not to take any action if your heart stops while you are at home or somewhere other than in a hospital. Many people sign these orders because they would prefer to be allowed to pass away peacefully rather than facing likely futile and possibly painful resuscitation attempts.

Declaration for Mental Health Treatment

If you have a serious mental illness - or know that one runs in your family and could affect you at some point - having one of these directives is highly recommended. While you are in a state where you have the capacity to make your own decisions, you can decide in advance what type of mental health care you would want in an emergency or if your illness progresses to the point where you cannot make decisions. You can make choices about accepting psychoactive medications or convulsive therapy.

Contact a Sugar Land, TX Attorney for Advance Medical Directives

The Fealy Law Firm, PC is committed to helping people ensure that their wishes regarding medical care will be respected when they can no longer express their preferences. Caring Fort Bend County, TX lawyer Vicky Fealy will take the time to fully understand what type of care you would want so she can tailor your advance medical directives to your individual preferences. Contact us at 713-526-5220 for a complimentary consultation.