An advance healthcare directive, is a legal document, which instructs your doctors and health care providers about your medical preferences. If you are unconscious, mentally incapacitated, or not able to express yourself, your medical directive will be there to tell your doctors what your medical choices are.
An advance healthcare directive also allows you to inform your family of your medical wishes so that they are not forced to make difficult decisions on your behalf without knowing your desires. Although Maryland does not require you to have a healthcare directive, including a medical directive can ensure that your healthcare providers will follow your instructions if they ever provide you with medical care when you unable to communicate.
Drafting an Advance Healthcare Directive in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County
Typically, advance directives are drafted when clients are in perfect health. They are able to make knowing decisions about the type of medical care that they want, or don’t want, and choose to ensure that these decisions are followed through a legally recognized format. You can only make an advance healthcare directive when you are mentally capable of making decisions for yourself. If you wait until you are too sick, or too old, you may no longer have the opportunity to ensure that your wishes are followed correctly.
Comparing a Maryland Advance Healthcare Directive and a Living Will in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County
Although a Maryland advance healthcare directive is also referred to as a living will, it is not a substitution for a will. A will details your choices about inheritances and only applies after you die. A living will only apply when you are incapacitated but still alive. Both your advance medical directive and will serve specific and different purposes. Therefore, you cannot use your living will as a substitute for your last will and testament, or vice versa.
If you have further questions about advance healthcare directives in Maryland or would like to inquire about creating an estate plan, please feel free to contact the Law Office of LaSheena M. Williams at (301) 778-9950 or leave an online request for a consultation.
Our firm passionately represents clients across Rockville, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Chevy Chase, College Park, Cheverly, Greenbelt, Oxon Hill, Hyattsville, Upper Marlboro, Largo, Bowie and surrounding communities.
