Healthcare Directives - What Are They and Why Are They Important?

Advance Directives for Healthcare allow you to identify someone to make medical decisions on your behalf if you cannot do so. With news stories inundating our news feeds about new health threats, now is a perfect time to ensure you have a Healthcare Directive in place.

The Georgia Advance Directive has four parts, but you need not complete each for it to be effective. Each section is explained below, along with a link to a printable pdf form for you to complete if you do not have one yet.

PART ONE—Health Care Agent.  This part allows you to name an Agent to make health care decisions for you when you cannot make health care decisions for yourself. You may also have your health care agent make decisions for you after your death with respect to an autopsy, organ donation, body donation, and final disposition of your body.

PART TWO—Treatment Preferences. This part allows you to state your treatment preferences if you have a terminal condition or if you are in a state of permanent unconsciousness (to be determined by two physicians). You may have heard this Section referred to as a “Living Will”. It will become effective only if you are unable to communicate your treatment preferences. Reasonable and appropriate efforts will be made to communicate with you about your treatment preferences before Part Two becomes effective.

PART THREE—Guardianship. This part allows you to nominate a person to be your Guardian should one ever be needed. A Guardian is appointed by the Probate Court to make all decisions on your behalf (not just medical) in the event you cannot act for yourself.

 PART FOUR—Effectiveness and Signatures. This part requires your signature and the signatures of two witnesses. This Section is required in order for any other Part to be effective. Your witnesses may not be named in this document as an Agent or Back-Up Agent, cannot be a beneficiary of your estate or otherwise stand to inherit financially at your passing, and cannot be someone directly involved in your healthcare. The document does not need to be notarized.

Click Here for Printable Georgia Advance Directive for Healthcare. Call or email us with questions.