Is a Living Will Enough in Arizona?

An Arizona living will tells your physicians about the types of medical care you wish to receive if you are not able to talk to them due to being incapacitated. An Arizona living will is important to have, as it can be referred to your physicians or loved ones for guidance on how you want to be treated, but it is not sufficient by itself.

The reasons why an Arizona living will isn’t enough

The main reason why an Arizona living will is not enough is because of the wide number of medical scenarios that a person might end up in that require interpretation. Your Arizona living will also may not even be looked at by your medical care providers, as treatments can be administered before they get a chance to view it. In addition, many medical doctors are afraid to interpret it on their own without guidance from a health care proxy. There are issues with liability that medical doctors are concerned about, and they will usually pass the living will onto the hospital lawyer for interpretation, which will cause delays in treatment decisions.

Create a health care power of attorney in addition to your Arizona living will

A health care power of attorney appoints a person close to you as a health care proxy who can make informed medical decisions on your behalf. Your health care proxy can make decisions such do not resuscitate orders or do not hospitalize orders for you. Your Arizona living will would be used by your health care proxy to make medical decisions for you. The person named as a health care proxy is typically in close proximity and usually a family member or friend.

Having a health care proxy solves many problems

If you have a health care proxy through a health care power of attorney, your proxy will be able to make fast decisions on your behalf without delays. This can be critical in many urgent medical situations. The combination of an Arizona living will and a health care power of attorney creates a complete medical directive and neither of the two documents should be overlooked in their importance.

Need Help?

If you are not sure as to what legal document you currently have contact one of our professionals to help you with your planning needs. They will make sure you have all of your grounds covered and have the right legal documents that best suite your wants and needs.