(no subject)

[vicarz]

Always consult a real attorney over important shit. That said, here are some on-line free resources I found:

Virginia Advanced Directive sample
http://www.vda.virginia.gov/pdfdocs/AdvMedDir.pdf
(this tells when you use a machine to help you live, when not to, and so on. As previously mentioned - while we all knee-jerk to say "no machines ever," if you're in a crash TONIGHT and being on a machine for 2 days will give you another 20-40 years of normal life after that brief interlude...)

Virginia power of attorney:
http://www.vda.virginia.gov/pdfdocs/Power%20of%20Attorney%20Material.pdf
(Power of attorney is more dangerous and more likely to come up than advanced directives, often potentially involving financial matters, so I would be even more cautious with that than the advanced directive)

Release of medical information:
I just spoke with someone whose mom is in the hospital, and the Florida hospital would not release any information to him, her son, about her condition because of their bizarre laws and interpretations of privacy statutes. So he suggests getting a release of medical information form filled out as well. There isn't one good sample for that, but you can quickly google a bunch and use the general format, or just a quick note I think, to make your own.

I'm probably going to do each of these and get copies to my records and to family members.

Comments

[jessiebeans.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for posting these. I do not want to be one of these people who burden their families with outstanding medical bills or having to make the decision of life support for me. I have several of these for my family and my spouse and I update our wills every 2 years.

[pastor-saturn.livejournal.com]

When my mom and I were taking care of her estate planning, her attorney gave her a copy of Five Wishes to fill out (click on the link on the right-hand side to view a PDF of the form). Basically a living will, it's written in a very simple, specific fashion that isn't as intimidating to most people as legalese. It's also considered "valid" in 40 states, including VA, but I'm not sure what "validity" entails. :)

Of course, I'm sure that if/when I need to make any big decisions for her, even with the knowledge I have of her beliefs and desires, I'll second-guess myself the whole time. Sigh.

[oontzgrrl.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the info. I really need to look into all the links.

[cweaselle.livejournal.com]

My family knows all about medical records and things like that. The only real problem I've come up with is with the military which doesn't surprise me at all.