An Advance Health Directive is not just a legal document; it's a compassionate step towards safeguarding the interests of yourself and your loved ones. In California, it holds significant value, encapsulating your medical wishes should you become unable to voice them. This guide aims to help you navigate this delicate...
Life, as we know it, is unpredictable. This unpredictability, especially concerning health emergencies, can be disconcerting. One way to mitigate this uncertainty is by having a Power of Attorney (POA). In the Golden State, it's not just about enjoying the sunshine and the beaches; it's also about being prepared for...
Every decision we make shapes our lives in one way or another. But few decisions carry the same weight as those concerning our end-of-life care. Although the topic might seem daunting, having a conversation about end-of-life preferences is crucial to ensuring our wishes are respected when we can no longer...
Preparing for the Unexpected: How Advance Healthcare Directives Can Give You and Your Loved Ones Peace of Mind It's natural to want to avoid thinking about the possibility of becoming incapacitated, but it's essential to plan for the unexpected. Advance healthcare directives can provide peace of mind for you and your...
In April, 91-year old Minna Buck revised her Advance Healthcare Directive. She doesn’t want to be intubated if she becomes infected with COVID. Ms. Buck has done her research and knows she doesn’t want any part of intubation. She knows that even if she survived, the recovery would leave her...
On August 1, New Jersey became the eighth state to allow doctors to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients who want to end their lives. On Sept. 15, Maine will become the ninth. By October 2019, 22% of Americans will live in states where residents with six months or...
Oliver was visiting his son in San Francisco when he had a seizure. He was hospitalized at one of the area’s premier medical institutions where he underwent testing and treatment. Oliver had had a stroke several years before, so as a precaution, he always carried his medical records when he...
While Marilyn Friedman had always dreamed that one day she and her mother would have a closer relationship, it was not to be. Her mother had dementia. She forgot the word for “dog.” She got lost on the way home from the grocery store. She experienced hallucinations of flashing lights...
Meet the Yin family. At 83, mom was weak and ill from stage IV lymphoma and atrial fibrillation. She’d gone through exhaustive chemotherapy and she’d run out of options. Yet it was still a surprise when the doctors told the family that she had fewer than six months to live...
It’s been two years, and the assisted suicide law remains controversial The End of Life Option Act (EOLOA) went into effect in June, 2016, and it continues to be contentious. Opponents argue that it is both immoral and unconstitutional, that there is too much room for abuse. Advocates believe that terminally...
On May 15, Riverside Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ottolia declared that the California legislature violated the law by passing the End of Life Option Act (EOLOA) in 2015 during a special session dedicated to healthcare issues, according to the plaintiffs in the case as well as advocates for the...
New ‘Instructions’ Could Let Dementia Patients Refuse Spoon-Feeding June marks the two-year anniversary of California’s End of Life Options Act (EOLA). Between June 9 and December 31, 2016, 111 patients were reported to have died following ingestion of aid-in-dying drugs prescribed under EOLA. While controversial, the law has stringent controls The law has been...
