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<DIV>Hi Tara -</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I think the key will be the agent designated for health care decisions in a
health care DPA (or the person given authority by default under RCW <SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: en-us; mso-fareast-language: en-us; mso-bidi-language: ar-sa'>11.94.)
Your client is describing a situation in which a lot of information will need to
be assessed, and judgment calls made. That’s not the role of the hospital
or care providers, and they will not want to do it. Of course client
needs to prepare a health care directive, but I think the DPA for health
care is even more important for what your client wants.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: en-us; mso-fareast-language: en-us; mso-bidi-language: ar-sa'></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: en-us; mso-fareast-language: en-us; mso-bidi-language: ar-sa'>IMO,
client needs to make her wishes clear to her duly appointed agent for health
care decisions, and his or her successor(s), and make sure they understand
and agree with what she wants. Then spell it out in the DPA for health
care, in everyday language that client might use - e.g. “It is very
important to me that my loved ones be given the chance to say their farewells to
me, even if I am not apparently capable of interacting with them.
Therefore I direct my agent to keep me alive for a reasonable period of time
(not to exceed __________) to allow loved ones to travel to where I am, if
this is feasible.” You can see the major discretion given to the agent in
words like “feasible,” but we all know that health care crises have so
many variables that it’s impossible to get too specific ahead of time.
Then make sure the documents are easy to find in a hurry, and make sure
each of client’s health care providers has copies. Client can even open a
patient medical file with these documents at the hospitals near her, even
if she’s never been admitted.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: en-us; mso-fareast-language: en-us; mso-bidi-language: ar-sa'></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: en-us; mso-fareast-language: en-us; mso-bidi-language: ar-sa'>Then
I’d echo this language in the health care directive, probably on the first
page, bolded, such as “It is very important to me that my loved ones be
given the chance to say their farewells to me, even if I am not apparently
capable of interacting with them. Therefore my care providers shall
consult with and defer to my acting agent for health care decisions in questions
of how long to maintain my life when I am in a terminal condition or a permanent
unconscious condition.” </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: en-us; mso-fareast-language: en-us; mso-bidi-language: ar-sa'></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: en-us; mso-fareast-language: en-us; mso-bidi-language: ar-sa'>Just
some thoughts- hope that’s helpful.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language: en-us; mso-fareast-language: en-us; mso-bidi-language: ar-sa'></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Felicia
Value<BR>Attorney at Law<BR>PO Box 578/116 North Third Street<BR>La Conner, WA
98257<BR>(360) 466-2088<BR><A
href="http://www.skagitprobate.com">www.skagitprobate.com</A><BR><BR>NOTE: I do
not use encrypted email. Messages sent to or<BR>from my office via email are not
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</SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=pugetsoundlaw@gmail.com
href="mailto:pugetsoundlaw@gmail.com">pugetsoundlaw@gmail.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, March 03, 2016 12:45 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com
href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> [WSBAPT] Health Care Directive Delayed for
Farewells</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'>
<DIV class=WordSection1>
<P class=MsoNormal>I have a client that wants a general directive to withhold or
withdraw life support, EXCEPT she wants to include a provision that delays the
implementation of the directive to allow family members to arrive to say their
farewells in person to a warm body, even if it means travelling to her from
out-of-state or out-of-county and takes a few days. Client is young,
healthy, married mother, who has had very negative personal experiences
concerning her own hospital stays and hospice treatment of other family
members.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>I’m thinking that there will also be a difference between
directing that the medical facility simply postpone the withdrawal of life
support and a directive to stabilize a patient’s condition until family can
arrive. This client seems to want the greater stabilization measures, at
least in the short term.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>I also have a concern about who will make the determination
of what will be considered reasonable for the medical measures employed, amount
of time allowed, and the scope of family members included. Client wants to
favor the family’s wishes over hospital/medical professional
determinations. Seems like a mini-DPOA as part of the HCD that temporarily
trumps the directive for this narrow scenario. I usually prepare the DPOA
and HCD as separate documents.<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Anyone ever drafted something like this and be willing to
share a sample provision, before I start trying to reinventing the wheel
complete with shiny rims and spinners?<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Thanks in advance,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Tara M. Roberts<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Puget Sound Law pllc<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><A
href="mailto:roberts@pugetsoundlaw.com">roberts@pugetsoundlaw.com</A><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #1f497d"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: #1f497d">******************************<BR>The
information contained in this email is intended as a collegial exchange of
ideas, may be incorrect, and is made without warranty of accuracy of any
kind. The ideas and opinions expressed in this message are offered as
unresearched thoughts, may be retracted or changed without notice, and do not
create any attorney-client relationship. They should not be relied upon as
applicable to any particular fact situation. Thank you.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; COLOR: #1f497d">******************************<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p> </P></DIV>
<P>
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