McKinney Elder Law Attorney Helps You Prepare with
Texas Living Wills and Advanced Directives
In Texas a Living Will is also known as an “Advanced Directive.”
The purpose of the Texas Living Will to allow you to consider your end of life options carefully and communicate them fully regarding your choice for medical care. Ideally, it is best to discuss the medical treatment your chose before you need treatment with your healthcare professionals and your family.
Later, once you actually need care you may want to reconsider your options and modify a prior Living Will. In your Living Will you may name a person to make treatment choices for you.
A signed advance directive will only be followed in the event that you become mentally or physically unable to convey your wishes regarding medical care decisions.
McKinney Elder Law Attorney Helps You Communicate Your End of Life Choices
Advance Directives
Medical Power of Attorney Download
Directive to Physicians and Family or Surrogates (Living Will) Download
Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) Order
Declaration for Mental Health Treatment
Frequently Asked Questions
Information about Organ Donation
Four Advance Directives Recognized in Texas
Medical Power of Attorney (formerly known as Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care)
Directive to Physicians and Family or Surrogates (commonly referred to as a Living Will)
Out-of-Hospital Do-Not Resuscitate Order
Declaration for Mental Health Treatment
McKinney Elder Law Attorney Helps You
Communicate Your Medical Care Choices
When you need medical care, certain decisions need to be made involving the kind of care to be given. These decisions may become harder if you become unable to tell your doctor and loved ones what kind of medical care you want. The law requires that patients be given enough information to make an informed choice regarding whether to consent (give permission) to medical care and treatment.
By law, an adult has the right to be informed of the possible medical outcomes of such refusal. Consent is not required to provide emergency care to an adult who is unconscious or unable to communicate and is suffering from an injury or illness that could result in immediate death. Problems sometimes arise when an adult patient needs medical treatment in a nonemergency situation but is unable to give informed consent or tell the doctor his or her desire for medical care.
Every adult of sound mind has the right to decide what may be done to his or her body. As a patient, you have the right to be told about your condition, the proposed treatment, the risks of not having the treatment and treatments available. This information helps you make an informed decision about accepting or choosing not to have the treatment your doctor has discussed with you.
Medical Power of Attorney (formerly known as Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care)
A Medical Power of Attorney is a form that allows you to appoint someone to make health care decisions for you if you are no longer able to make decisions for yourself. These decisions can include
(1) agreeing to or refusing medical treatment;
(2) deciding not to continue medical treatment; or
(3) making decisions to stop or not start life-sustaining treatment.
Your agent may NOT make decisions regarding:
Voluntary inpatient mental health services
Convulsive treatment
Psychosurgery
Abortion
Withholding treatment intended for comfort.
The Medical Power of Attorney applies only to health care decisions. It does not apply to financial matters.