Health Care Directives

Peace Of Mind For You And Your Family

One of the most common worries among older people, in Florida and around the country, is that their wishes will not be respected when they are in the hospital or receiving end-of-life care. While a person might have told their family how they expect them to make medical decisions on their behalf, without a formal arrangement, these plans could go by the wayside.

A reliable way to communicate your health care choices is to establish a health care directive and designate a health care surrogate. At the law firm of Fischler, Friedman, & Bennett, P.A., we have assisted many people in Fort Lauderdale and in Southwest Florida in making estate planning decisions, including setting up health care directives that can establish standards for your treatment, instructions for if and how you wish to prolong your care, and if you want to have a power of attorney to make decisions on your behalf.

Health Care Directives: More Than Just A Living Will

One of the primary objectives of making advance decisions about your health care is to establish a living will — how you want your treatment to proceed if you are unable to provide input. This could mean having a Do Not Resuscitate directive, commonly known as a DNR, so that if you were to go into cardiac arrest, medical providers would not attempt to administer CPR or other treatment to prolong your life.

Beyond that, you may wish to have a representative make other decisions on your behalf — everything from where you should receive care, to the plan of treatment and choice of physicians, to who is allowed to visit you during your illness. The scope of this authorization is something you can decide for yourself long in advance of when it might come into play.

Our estate planning lawyers appreciate the sensitive nature of these decisions, and we will help you to establish a plan that makes the most sense for you and your family. For a confidential consultation with an attorney in the Fort Lauderdale area, call us at 954-763-5778. You may also call 239-333-1200 to reach our Southwest Florida office, serving Fort Myers and Naples. Alternatively, you can email the firm to schedule a consultation.