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Advance Directive for Health Care Form - Texas
A Texas Advance Directive for Health Care ensures that an individual's wishes regarding health care are carried out even in situations when they are unable to make them known due to a terminal illness or being unconscious or too ill to communicate. Advance care planning involves learning about the types of decisions that might need to be made, considering and adjusting those decisions ahead of time, and then letting others - both the individual's family and their health care providers - know about their medical treatment preferences.
A Texas Advance Directive is defined and regulated by § 166.033 of the Texas Health and Safety Code . The document must be witnessed by two (2) people or a notary. A durable power of attorney for health care also requires two (2) witnesses. There is a difference between this form and a Living Will in Texas. A Living Will is a part of the Advance Health Care Directive paperwork that covers end-of-life treatment and takes effect only in the event of a terminal illness.
Download a ready-made version of the document through the link below or make your own with our online form builder.
What Is a Texas Advance Directive?
An Advance Directive is a set of forms that specify an individual's medical treatment preferences and become effective if the individual becomes terminally ill, is seriously injured, in the late stages of dementia or in a coma. The set includes a Living Will and a Medical Power of Attorney - otherwise known as a Health Care Power of Attorney or a Health Care Proxy.
- Living Wills are written for health care professionals and specify the types of life-prolonging treatments or procedures to perform if the individual is in a terminal condition or in a persistent vegetative state.
- A Medical Power of Attorney allows the individual to name a health care proxy to make medical decisions if they become unable to make those decisions for themselves. It is important that the designated proxy knows and understands the patient's wishes and preferences and has a written copy of the Advance Directive for Health Care.
How to Write an Advance Directive in Texas?
You'll need to follow these important steps when preparing your document:
STEP 1 - Choose your health care agent - or proxy. This agent should be a person you trust to make medical decisions for you.
STEP 2 - Consider the kinds of treatment you do or do not want to receive in the event of a serious illness or incapacitation. Consider whether you want to:
- Take antibiotics to treat infections;
- Receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR);
- Be on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine when you cannot breathe on your own;
- Be on a dialysis machine in case of kidney failure;
- Be tube-fed if you can't eat or drink on your own.
STEP 3 - Keep the original completed and signed Advance Directive form with your medical records and give copies out to your health care proxy, physicians, health care providers, and - if necessary - to family members and close friends.
Download Advance Directive for Health Care Form - Texas
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