What is a health care directive and how does it work?

A health care directive, also known as a “living will” in Florida, is a document that informs medical professionals how to handle your health care decisions in the event that you become incapacitated. In your document, you can decide who will make health care decisions for you, which treatments you do or don’t want to receive, which treatments you are willing to try, etc. A health care directive is an important tool for estate planning. It ensures that your wishes are respected if you become unable to express them yourself. The document is created and finalized in advance of any medical emergency and is legally binding. You can create a health care directive yourself or have a lawyer do it for you. You use a form specifically created for this purpose and fill it out according to your wishes. Make sure to have it witnessed and notarized. You can update or change your health care directive at any time. If the time comes for your health care directive to be used, your named representative makes the decisions on your behalf. They will make sure to follow your wishes as closely as possible. Your health care directive can also provide comfort to family members who may be struggling to make decisions.

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