A legally-effective patient advocate designation is important for every person to have.
In a patient advocate designation, or PAD, a person names someone else to act for him or her if she becomes unable to make healthcare treatment decisions for herself.
The person who creates the PAD is called the principal, and the person who is empowered to make decisions is called the patient advocate.
The patient advocate works with healthcare providers to make certain the principal's wishes for treatment are carried out.
In other states, the patient advocate designation may be called by another name, such as living will, health care power of attorney or a healthcare proxy.
Michigan law does not recognize a living will, per se. But the law does encourage a person to name a person to act for her and to specify what medical treatments she does - and does not want - in specific circumstances.
A patient advocate designation is part of every estate plan created by Elder Law of Chelsea. If you would like to have a thoughtful conversation about what treatments, procedures, and nutrition you would want if you were unable to talk with your doctor, call Attorney William Lamb at Elder Law of Chelsea today - (734) 475-2100.