Few matters are more intimate and personal than health. After all, not only can health be uncomfortable to discuss, but most individuals have some strong decisions about how they want doctors to treat them. Moreover, most Americans want to maintain as much control as possible over their own health care.
A sudden illness or catastrophic injury might cause you to lose your mental faculties. Put simply, if incapacitation renders you incapable of making your own medical decisions, you undoubtedly want your doctor to know your wishes. That is where a health care representative can make a big difference.
Standing in your shoes
According to Indiana law, you have a right to name a health care representative who can make medical decisions for you during your incapacitation. This person essentially stands in your shoes, telling doctors what you would and would not want if you could speak for yourself.
Exchanging information with doctors
To make informed decisions, your health care representative is going to need to know some information about you and your medical conditions. This means you must give your permission for doctors to discuss private details with your representative. Naturally, you should pick a representative you can trust with sensitive information.
Advocating for your interests
Regardless of whether you are close with your relatives, they are likely to have some opinions about your medical care. If you think their opinions will not align with your own, your health care representative becomes even more important. Specifically, your representative fights for you, even if your interests do not align with those of others.
Ultimately, now that you understand the vital role health care representatives can play, it is advisable to find yours as soon as possible.