Making Your Wishes Known
Medical End of Life Forms
It can be hard to talk to our loved ones about what kind of treatment we would or would not want at the end of life. But if they don’t know what our wishes are, it makes it so much harder on them to make decisions on our behalf. Life is unpredictable. That’s why it’s important to make sure that the ones who love us are able to answer for us when the time comes.
Since we don’t know when our time may come (even if we are healthy, unexpected things like auto accidents can and do happen every day), EVERYONE, no matter what age should have what is called a health care proxy or health care surrogate. This is someone you trust (usually next of kin, but it doesn’t have to be) to understand what you would want when you can’t answer for yourself.
Medical End of Life Legal Form for Floridians
This is the legal form you need in Florida in order to make sure your wishes are followed:
http://www.caringinfo.org/files/public/ad/Florida.pdf
If you aren’t sure about what specific life-sustaining measures are, ask your doctor. Sometimes it’s hard for physicians to bring up the topic, but it is a conversation we all need to have, so don’t be afraid to ask us!