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Advance Directive for Health Care Form - New Mexico
A New Mexico Advance Directive is a crucial form that allows of-age individuals to have legal control over their medical treatment in the event when they are unable to speak for themselves. When a patient does not have their wishes about the kinds of medical treatment they do or do not want to receive specified, these decisions can be placed in the hands of family members, doctors, or even judges, who may know very little about what the patient prefers. You can download a ready-made version of the document below or make your own form with our form builder.
The document provides an efficient and flexible format for planning out future health care and gives patients the option of electing a trusted individual or health professional to oversee their care. There is a difference between a New Mexico Advance Directive and a New Mexico Living Will. The former are oral or written instructions about future medical care in case the individual becomes too ill to communicate. The latter is a specific type of directive that takes effect only when a patient is terminally ill.
A New Mexico Advance Directive is defined by Chapter 24, Health and Safety of the New Mexico Statutes . No witnesses are required.
What Is a New Mexico Advance Directive?
An Advance Directive is a legal document by which an individual appoints a proxy to make medical decisions for when they are no longer able to and to administer or withhold treatment and procedures based on their previously stated wishes. Advance Directives include two separate forms:
- A Living Will (a written statement listing decisions about life-sustaining procedures in the event of a terminal condition);
- A Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (a document appointing an attorney-in-fact to make medical decisions for the individual).
The attorney-in-fact should meet the following criteria:
- The health care proxy - or agent - must meet the state's legal requirements.
- The individual's doctor or a member of their medical care team may not be selected as a proxy.
- The elected individual should be trusted to be the patient's advocate in any disagreements about their care.
How to Write an Advance Directive in New Mexico?
Making an Advance Care Directive in New Mexico usually features the following steps:
STEP 1 - Elect a health care proxy - or agent - to make medical decisions on your behalf. Be sure to choose a person willing to respect and follow your wishes
STEP 2 - Write down your wishes regarding any limitations in medical treatment. Specify whether you agree to be on a dialysis machine, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, receive CPR or take antibiotics to treat infections
STEP 3 - Make decisions regarding the possibility of organ and tissue donation and state your preferences regarding burial and the disposition of remains.
STEP 4 - Keep the original signed and certified form, hand a copy out to your agent and ask your doctor to keep a copy of your document with your medical records.
Download Advance Directive for Health Care Form - New Mexico
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