What does a health care directive do?

It is a preventative tool that allows somebody to dictate what their healthcare wishes are and what they aren’t. Yes, I would like this treatment. Yes, DNR, DNI, or yes, I’d like CPR. Anything health related. It also allows you to name a healthcare agent who is able to make medical decisions on your behalf should you lose capacity in whatever way that might look like. So for example, I am the healthcare agent for a family member of mine. And how this works in practice is they went in for surgery. They were being put under for four hours. During that time, their doctor activated me as the agent to be available to make decisions because when they’re under anesthesia and knocked out, they are not going to be able to make decisions for themselves.

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