“...so I would give my son “Medical Power of Attorney” Rather than a “Living will”...if I understand you correctly?”
Absolutely. A living will tells the hospital to not resuscitate you, let you die. The hospital owns you if you sign that document. A Medical Power of Attorney gives your son total control to follow YOUR wishes instead of the hospital’s. If you are too sick to make decisions, the hospital MUST consult your son before they do anything.
Make several copies of the medical power of attorney once it is made (keep the original, don’t give it away) because numerous doctors are usually on a case, and your son may need to give those doctors a copy as doctors are used to a Living Will but not used to medical power of attorney. They know what it is, but they need to know your son has one as you may go through numerous doctors on a serious case.
If you have family members trying to butt in, wanting to make decisions for you, they are also shut down if your son has a medical power of attorney. My husband had a son who is an alcoholic, and he tried that and I told him I had medical power of attorney and he wanted a copy. Fine, gave him one, and he was shut down.
Good for you to consider what will happen to you if you get seriously ill.
Thank you for taking time to confirm this. Am very glad, and much appreciate, you shared this information for I had no idea about “Medical Power of Attorney” only a ‘Living Will’, and even that I wasn’t comfortable with. There is certainly a difference!
I have two sons but I know the other son would not do well handling medical determinations....nor would he want to. So appointing his brother is something he’d have no problem with.