AdvancedDirectives
YOUHAVETHE RIGHT TOMAKEHEALTH CAREDECISIONSTHATAFFECTYOU
[TheFederal Governmentrequiresallhealthcareprovidersmake thefollowing information available to all individualsseekingmedicalcare].
Youhavethe right tomakealldecisions aboutthehealth careyoureceive.Ifyoudonotwantcertain treatments,youcan tellyourdoctor, either inperson or inwriting,thatyoudo notwantthem.Ifyouwantto refuse treatmentbutyoudo not havesomeone to nameasyouragent, you can sign alivingwill.
Mostpatientscan expresstheirwishes totheirdoctor, butsomewhoarebadly injured,unconscious,orvery illcannot. Peopleneedtoknowyourwishesabouthealthcareincaseyoubecomeunabletospeak effectively foryourself. Youcan expressyourwishes inahealth carepowerofattorneyoralivingwill.
Inaliving willyoutellyourdoctorthatyoudonotwanttoreceivecertain treatment. Inahealthcarepowerofattorney you namean agentwho will tell thedoctor whattreatmentshould orshould notbeprovided.
Thedecisiontosignahealthcarepowerofattorneyorlivingwillisverypersonalandveryimportant. Thisdocument answerssome frequentlyasked questionsabouthealthcarepowersofattorneyandlivingwills.
Thesedocumentswillbefollowedonly ifyouareunable, due toillness or injury,tomakedecisions foryourself. While you arepregnant, however,these documentswillnotcauselifesupportto bewithheld.
Ifyoudonothavea living willorhealthcare powerofattorney that tellswhatyouwantdone,youdonotknowwhat decisionswillbemadeor whowillmakethem.DecisionsmaybemadebycertainrelativesdesignatedbySouthCarolina law,by aperson appointed by thecourt,orby thecourtitself.Thebestway tomakesureyourwishesarefollowed is to stateyourwishesinahealthcarepowerofattorney,orsometimes,alivingwill.Ityouwanttorefusetreatmentbutyou do nothavesomeone tonameasyouragent, you can sign a livingwill.
Ityouhavequestionsaboutsigning ahealthcarepowerofattorney orliving will;youshouldtalk toyourdoctor,your minister,priest,rabbi,orotherreligiouscounseloror yourattorney.Finally,itisvery importantthatyou discussyour feelingsabout lifesupportwith your family. Ahealth carepowerofattorneyalsoshould bediscussed with thepeopleyou intendtonameasyouragentandalternateagentstomakesure thattheyarewilling toserve. Itisalso importanttomake surethatyouragentsknowyourwishes.
Are thereformsforlivingwillsand health carePowersofattorney inSouth Carolina?
Yes.TheSouthCarolinalegislaturehasapprovedformsforbothalivingwillandahealthcarepowerofattorney.Theliving willform thatthelegislatureapprovediscalleda"DeclarationofaDesireforNaturalDeath." Youmaybeabletogetthese forms fromthe person who gaveyou this brochure. Ifnot,you maycall:
Your localCouncilanAgingSouthCarolina CommissiononAging 1 (800) 868-9095
Joint legislative Committee on Aging (803) 734-2995
Governor's Office, Ombudsman Division (803) 734-0457
HowareaHealth CarePowerofAttorney anda Living Willdifferent?
Theagentnamedinahealthcarepowerofattorney canmakeallofthedecisionsaboutyourhealth carethatneed to bemade. A livingwillaffects onlylifesupport.
Alivingwillaffectslifesupportonlyincertaincircumstances.Alivingwillonlytellsthedoctorwhattodoif you are permanentlyunconsciousorifyou are terminallyilland close to death. Ahealth carepower ofattorneyis notlimitedtothesesituations.
"Permanently unconscious"meansthatyouare inapersistentvegetativestate in whichyourbody functions butyour minddoesnot. Thisisdifferentfromacoma,becauseapersoninacomausuallywakesup,butapermanently unconsciouspersondoes not.
Alivingwillcanonlysaywhattreatmentyoudon'twant.Inahealthcarepowerofattorneyyoucansaywhat treatmentyou dowantaswellaswhatyou do notwant.
Withalivingwill, youmustdecidewhatshouldbedoneinthefuture,withoutknowingexactlywhatthe circumstanceswillbewhenthedecisionisputintoeffect.Withahealthcarepowerofattorney,theagentcan makedecisionswhentheneed arises,and willknowwhatthecircumstancesare.
AnOmbudsmanfromtheGovernor'sOfficemustbeawitnessifyousignaliving willwhenyouareinahospital ornursinghome.AnOmbudsmandoesnothavetobeawitnessifyousignahealthcarepowerofattorneyina
hospitalornursinghome.
Iwanttobeallowedtodieanaturaldeathandnotbekeptalivebymedicaltreatmentheroicmeasures,or artificialmeans. HowcanI makesure thishappens?
Thebestwaytobesureyouareallowedtodieanaturaldeathistosignahealthcarepowerof attorneythatstatesthe circumstancesinwhichyouwouldnotwanttreatment.IntheSouthCarolinaform,youshouldspecifyyourwishesin Items6 and 7.
Youmaynothaveapersonthatyoucantrusttocarryoutyourdesireforanaturaldeath.Itnot,alivingwillcanensure thatyouareallowedtodieanaturaldeath.However,itwillonlydosoifyouarepermanentlyunconsciousorterminally illandcloseto theend oflife.
Which documentshouldIsignifIwantto betreatedwith allavailablelife-sustaining procedures?
YoushouldsignaHealthCarePowerofAttorney,and notalivingwill.TheSouthCarolinaHealthCarePowerof Attorneyform allowsyoutosayeitherthatyoudoorthatyoudonotwantlife-sustainingtreatment.A livingwill onlyallowyou to saythatyou do notwantlife-sustainingprocedures.
What ifIhaveanold health carepower ofattorneyorlivingwill, orsigned one in anotherstate?
Ifyoupreviouslysignedalivingwillorhealthcarepowerofattorney,eveninanotherstate,itisprobablyvalid. However,itmay beagoodideatosignthemostcurrentforms.Forexample,the currentSouthCarolina living willform coversartificialnutrition and hydration whereasolderformsdid not.
Howisa healthcarepowerofattorney differentfroma durablepowerofAttorney?
Ahealthcarepowerofattorney isaspecifictypeofdurablepowerofattorney thatnamesanagentonly tomakehealth caredecisions. Adurablepowerofattorneymayormaynotallow theagenttomakehealthcaredecisions.Itdependson whatthedocumentsays.Theagentmayonlybeableto makedecisionsaboutpropertyandfinancialmatters.
Whatare therequirementsforsigning alivingwill?
YouMustbeeighteenyearsoldtosignalivingwill; twopersonsmustwitnessyoursigningthelivingwillform.A notary publicmustalsosigntheliving will.Ifyousigna living willwhileyouareapatient ina hospitalora resident in a nursinghome, a representative fromtheGovernor'sOffice(theOmbudsman)mustwitnessyoursigning.
Therearecertainpeoplewhocannotwitnessyourlivingwill.The livingwillform sayswhocannotbeawitness.You should read thelivingwillformcarefullyto besureyourwitnessesarequalified.
Whatare therequirementsforsigning a healthcarepowerofattorney?
You musthave two witnessessign thedocument.Theformtellsyou who cannotbewitnesses. (Theseare thesamepeople whocannotwitnessalivingwill.)Unlikealiving will,thehealthcarepowerofattorney may besignedinahospitalorin anursinghomewithouthavingsomeonefrom theOmbudsman'sofficepresent.Itisnotnecessarytohaveanotarysign yourhealth carepowerofattorney.
WhomshouldIappointas my agent? Whatifmy agentcannotserve?
Youshouldappointapersonyoutrustandwho knowshowyoufeelabouthealth care. Youalso should nameat leastone alternate,whowillmake decisionsifyouragentisunableorunwilling tomakethesedecisions.Youshouldtalk tothe peopleyouchooseasyouragentandalternateagentstobesuretheyarewillingtoserve.Also,theyshouldknowhow you feelabouthealth care.
Is thereanything Ineed to knowaboutcompletingthelivingwillorhealthcarepower ofattorneyform?
Eachformcontainsspacesforyoutostateyourwishesaboutthingslikewhetheryouwantlifesupportandtubefeeding. Ifyoudonotputyour initials ineitherblank,tube feeding may beprovided, depending uponyourcondition.Besure to readtheformscarefullyandfollowtheinstructions.
WhereshouldIkeep myhealth carepower ofattorney orlivingwill?
Keeptheoriginal inasafeplacewhereyourfamily memberscangetit.Youalsoshouldgiveacopy toasmanyofthe following peopleasyouarecomfortablewith:yourfamilymembers,yourdoctor,yourlawyer,yourministerorpriest, or youragent. Do notputyouronlycopyof thesedocumentsin yoursafedepositbox.
What ifIchange my mind afterIhavesigneda livingwillorhealth carepowerattorney?
Youmayrevoke(cancel) yourlivingwillorhealthcarepowerofattorneyanytime.Theformscontaininstructionsfor doing so.Youmusttellyourdoctorandanyoneelse whohasacopy thatyouhavechangedyourmindandyouwantto revokeyour livingwillorhealth carepowerofattorney.
Ifyouhavealivingwillorhealthcare powerofattorney,pleasemakeacopy andbringittotheofficeso wecanplace thisinyourmedicalrecord.Pleasebeawarethatyouradvancedirective willnotbehonoredinthisofficebutifyouaretransferredtoahospitalthisformwillbetransferredwithyou