I recommend that most every adult should have a Utah Advance Health Care Directive in place. After all, anyone can become seriously ill or permanently incapacitated at any given time. A Health Care Directive allows you to protect yourself if you find yourself in such a position. With a Health Care Directive, you can name an agent to act on your behalf in making important health care decisions if you are unable to make those decisions for yourself.

Your Health Care Directive not only allows you to name an agent (and successor agents) to act on your behalf with regard to health care decisions, but it also gives you the opportunity to provide guidance to health care providers and your loved ones when it comes to making difficult health care decisions, such as end-of-life decisions.

A Health Care Directive also allows you to appoint a guardian in the event the Court sees a need for one to be appointed to you in the future. This will provide the Court with your preference as to who you want to be your guardian, if ever it is determined that one should be appointed to you.

It’s important to get your Health Care Directive in place now while you’re fully competent to do so.

The Health Care Directive document can be confusing. I can walk you through the document as you make the important and very personal decisions concerning your future need for health care in situations where you can’t act for yourself.

Even though I recommend that you get a Health Care Directive in place now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t change it or revoke it in the future if your circumstances change. I am available to help you take those steps if you ever decide to do so.