You’ve taken advantage of the cremation services offered in Dayton, OH by preplanning your funeral arrangements, so you’re a step ahead of many people. However, you should make sure that you’ve also planned for your end-of-life care by making sure that you have legal documents in place that ensure that your wishes are honored if you’re not in a position to make sure yourself.
One of the legal documents that everybody should have regarding their medical care, no matter what their health or their age, is a healthcare proxy (also known as medical power of attorney). This document names someone to make healthcare decisions for you if you can’t make them yourself.
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Why do you need a healthcare proxy now? Suppose that you get into an accident of some sort or you’re undergoing a routine surgery under general anesthesia that leaves you temporarily unconscious.
You won’t be able to tell anyone your medical wishes, and if you don’t have a healthcare proxy that designates someone to make medical decisions for you, then medical professionals will do what they think is in your best interests, whether that is something you would agree to if you were conscious and able to state your own wishes.
So, you know you need a healthcare proxy. Now how do you choose the person who will make medical decisions for you when you can’t?
The first thing to consider is what your healthcare proxy will need to know about your past and current medical history.
Your healthcare proxy will need to know about all health conditions you’ve had or have (this is the lengthy list of checkboxes that you complete when you go to the hospital or you see a healthcare professional for the first time). They will need to know which of these conditions are current and which are not.
Your healthcare proxy will also need to know what surgeries you’ve had throughout your life. They will also need to know about your current healthcare providers, upcoming appointments, and scheduled or potential surgeries that might be on the horizon.
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Another thing that your healthcare proxy will need to know is what medications, including the time of day and dosage, you are currently taking.
The final thing that your healthcare proxy will need to know is the details of your living will (in fact, your healthcare proxy will likely be the person you name as an alternate on your living will) so that they can ensure your wishes are followed if you are in a life-threatening situation.
If you’re married, you most likely will choose your spouse as your healthcare proxy since they should be very familiar with all this information. However, if your spouse is not comfortable with or would be emotionally unable to enforce some of your decisions regarding your medical care, and you want to make sure they are enforced, you may want to designate someone else you trust to do what you want – another family member or a close friend – as your healthcare proxy.
Once you’ve chosen a healthcare proxy, you need to share your entire medical history with them. You need to be sure that you can trust the person you choose to keep this information confidential. You also need to be sure that this person won’t be upset or offended about anything in your medical history, because you need this person to be all in as your medical advocate.
So, choose wisely.
For information about cremation services offered in Dayton, OH, our caring and knowledgeable staff at Glickler Funeral Home & Cremation Service is here to assist you. You can visit our funeral home at 1849 Salem Ave., Dayton, OH 45406, or you can call us today at (937) 278-4287.