Durable Health Care Power Of Attorney (Page 2 of 4) in pdf

ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVES

Pennsylvania recognizes two forms of Advance Health Care Directives: Durable Health Care

Powers of Attorney and Living Wills. Any person of sound mind who is at least 18 years old, a

high school graduate or married can make an Advance Health Care Directive for the health care he

or she wishes to receive. The person making the directive, or another person on his or her behalf

and at his or her direction, either must sign it before two witnesses who are at least 18 years old or

have it notarized. A witness cannot sign the directive on behalf of or at the direction of its subject.

A health care provider must follow the instructions or indicate his refusal to do so and help transfer

the person to another provider who will honor them. Health Care providers and Health Care Agents

(discussed below) following the instructions in good faith, are protected from legal liability, other

than for negligence or failing to meet professional standards. An Advance Health Care Directive

may be revoked at any time by notifying the attending physician, health care provider or other

witness to the revocation. Life-sustaining treatment must be provided to a pregnant woman

regardless of such instructions until the birth of the child, unless doing so would physically harm

her or cause her pain that could not be alleviated by medication, or would prevent the continuing

development and birth of the child.

Durable Health Care Power of Attorney

A Durable Health Care Power of Attorney is a written instruction naming another person to act

as your Health Care Agent. You decide what health care authority the agent will have and when he

or she will have it. It allows you to tell your agent what types of care you would find burdensome

and undesirable, or whether medical care should be applied aggressively if you have an extreme

and irreversible condition such as Alzheimer’s Disease. You remain responsible for the costs of the

care. A health care agent should be someone likely to be available if and when you cannot make

your own decisions. You should inform the agent when you have appointed him or her and discuss

your beliefs and values to ensure that he or she understands and will try to meet your objectives.

Note: Health care providers may be agents only for their own relatives.

Living Wills

Living Wills are intended to ease the burden of medical decision-making for loved ones by

allowing you to direct beforehand what artificial life supports or extraordinary medical treatments

are to be used should you develop an end-stage condition (become terminally ill) or fall into an

irreversible coma or permanent unconsciousness. They take effect only at that time.

ABOUT THIS FORM

The Advance Health Care Directive here is not intended as specific legal or medical advice, for

which you should rely on your attorney or physician. If you are unclear about the meaning of

statements in it or their impact on you, you should consult your attorney or health care provider as

appropriate. The Durable Health Care Power of Attorney section gives your health care agent the

immediate right to know information about your physical and mental health from your health care

providers, and broad powers to make treatment decisions for you when, and only when, you

become unable to understand, make or communicate health care decisions. The Living Will section

expresses a desire to restrict the care to be provided to you if you become permanently

unconscious or have an end-stage condition.

If you do not wish to give your health care agent immediate authority to have information

about your health, broad powers or do not wish to restrict care in case of permanent

unconsciousness or an end-stage condition, or if you wish to allow your health care agent to

immediately be able to make decisions for you or wish to state more detailed preferences

than this form provides, you should not use this form.

SDCO 9/07

Durable Health Care Power Of Attorney Page 2

Related Articles

Related forms

Related Categories