Wants, Wishes, and Wills: A Medical and Legal Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family in Sickness and in Health Book

Acknowledgments     xv
About the Authors     xvi
The Wants, Wishes, and Wills of Your Health and Medical Situation
Health and Medical Wants: Your Personal Health Care System     3
A Guide to Creating Your Personal Health Care System     3
My Personal Health Care Team     7
Your Health Care Records     8
My Own Interoperable Health Network     8
Health and Medical Wants     9
Health and Medical Wishes: Providers, Facilities, and Programs     11
A Guide to Medical Experts     11
I've Just Been Diagnosed. What Do I Do Now?     12
Office Overview     13
Second Opinions     14
What if My Physicians Don't Use the Same Hospitals and Diagnostic Testing Centers?     15
Let the Patient Beware!     16
Physician "Hats"     18
White Coat Cast     27
What's Up, Doc?     23
Choosing Medical Facilities     23
Pharmacies     26
Medical Service, Magazines, Milk, and More     27
Medical Palliation Programs and Hospice     28
Health and Medical Wishes     31
Health and Medical Wills: Your Medical Conditions     33
A Guide to Determining YourCurrent Health Status     33
Your Medical Conditions     34
Health and Medical Wills     39
The Wants, Wishes, and Wills of Your Personal Situation
Personal Wants: Doctors and Dialogue     43
A Guide to Communicating Better with Your Providers     43
Who Are Your Health Care Providers?     44
Where Were Your Last Tests Done?     44
What Medicines Are You Taking?     45
What Exactly Is This Pill?     46
What Are You Allergic To? What Are You Intolerant Of?     46
Do I Have to Tell My Doctor Everything?     47
How Are You Feeling?     47
What's Your Health History?     48
Your Protected Health Information     48
Past Medical History     48
Medications/Allergies     49
Family History     49
Social History     50
Personal Wants     50
Personal Wishes: Screening and Counseling     51
A Guide to Health Counseling     51
Who Do You Go To for Your Health Care Advice?     52
United States Federal Counseling Standards as of 2006     54
Screening for Health Conditions     57
U.S. Federal Screening Standards as of 2006      58
Personal Wishes     62
Personal Wills: Drugs, Diets, and Devices     63
A Guide to Drug Discovery, Distribution, and Delivery     64
Trial or Study-What's the Difference?     65
Listen to the Experts!     66
What If My Health Insurance Won't Cover Some Treatments?     67
Online Update     68
Is a Clinical Trial or the Standard Treatment Right for Me?     72
What Exactly Is Alternative Care?     75
Beneficial Diets     77
Devices     79
Personal Wills     80
The Wants, Wishes, and Wills of Your Medical-Legal Affairs
Medical-Legal Wants: Understanding Interventions     83
A Guide to Airway Interventions     85
Breathing Interventions     86
Breathing Basics     86
Circulatory Interventions     87
Discomfort Interventions     88
Pain Facts     89
Enteric Interventions     90
Medical-Legal Wants     94
Medical-Legal Wishes: Defining Capacity, Consciousness, and Contingencies     95
A Guide to Evaluating Medical Capacity and Comas     96
Capacity and Competence     97
A Little Levity     98
Coma Conditions     101
Choosing Medical End-of-Life Points     101
The Different Points of Death     106
Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Orders     109
Medical-Legal Wishes     110
Medical-Legal Wills: Directives, Definitions, and Discussions     111
Who's Who?     112
Health Care Documents 101     113
What If I Don't Have a Health Care Proxy?     114
What About Your Old Health Care Proxy and Living Will?     115
A Guide to Health Care Proxies and Living Wills     115
The New Living Will     116
Who Can Know Your Health Care Status?     118
What Are Life-Sustaining Treatments?     120
Does a Living Will Mean I Want Euthanasia?     122
Powers of Attorney     124
What Exactly Is a General Durable Power of Attorney?     126
The Documents Are Signed. What Now?     128
Communicating Your Health Care Wants and Wishes     129
How Often Should I Update My Documents?     132
Medical-Legal Wills     132
The Wants, Wishes, and Wills of Your Selfless Contributions
Selfless Contribution Wants: Donating Time, Tissue, and Treatment Data     137
A Guide to Patient Advocacy Communities      137
Donation Communities     139
Organ Donations     140
Our Favorite Bumper Sticker     140
Blood Donations     140
Blood Donations 101     141
Bone Marrow     142
Scientific Research     142
Research Communities     143
Selfless Contribution Wants     144
Selfless Contribution Wishes: Individual Purpose, Production, and Protection     145
A Guide to Goal Setting     145
An Added Bonus     146
Time Management     148
Vivacious Volunteers     149
Liability Protection     150
Selfless Contribution Wishes     151
Selfless Contribution Wills: Donation Requirements, Responsibilities, and Rights     153
A Guide to Informed Consent     153
Can I Revoke My Informed Consent?     154
Record Keeping and Reporting     155
Scientific Data     155
Donation Ownership     156
Selfless Contribution Wills     157
The Wants, Wishes, and Wills of Your Estate Planning
Estate Planning Wants: Purpose, Preparation, and Protection     161
Beneficiary Designations     162
Double Check Those Designations      162
Joint Tenants     163
Tenants-in-Common     163
Individual Assets     164
Get Organized!     164
Who Are These People?     165
A Guide to the Purposes and Benefits of Estate Planning     166
What About In-Laws and Adopted Children?     168
What Does Escheat Mean?     169
Protecting Your Estate from Taxes     170
The Changing Federal Tax Law     171
Finding Estate Planning Professionals     174
Time Waits for No One     176
Don't Wait Till the Last Minute!     179
Estate Planning Wants     179
Estate Planning Wishes: Caring for Family, Friends, and Foundations     181
A Guide to Planning for Relatives     182
Your Parents     182
How Do I Talk to My Parents About Estate Planning?     183
Your Young Children     183
Disabled Loved Ones     184
Planning for Nonrelatives     185
My Charitable Planning Questionnaire     186
Planning for Charities     186
Let the Donor Beware!     187
Charity Begins with the Heart and Ends with the Bottom Line     188
The Famously Charitable      190
Estate Planning Wishes     191
Estate Planning Wills: Testaments, Trusts, and Other Tools     193
Explaining Your Decision     194
A Guide to Last Wills and Testaments     194
What's a Holographic Will?     195
Who Can Write a Will?     196
Stephanie's Saga: Beware of Mysterious Lists     197
Do I Have to List Everything?     199
What About Spot and Fluffy?     200
Family Planning     201
Legalese 101     202
What's a Trust?     203
What's the Difference Between a Will and a Trust?     205
The Executor     206
Fiduciary Duty     208
Who Should Be the Guardian of My Children?     208
Guardian Letter of Guidance     209
Procrastination Nation     210
Trusts     210
If I Have a Trust, Do I Need a Will?     211
Other Estate Planning Tools     212
Long-Term Care and Disability Insurance     213
Estate Planning Decisions     215
Estate Planning Wills     216
The Wants, Wishes, and Wills of Your Legacy
Legacy Wants: Providing Ideas, Instructions, and Intentions     219
A Guide to Letters and Lessons of Love     220
Video Memorials     221
Letters of Instruction     222
Letter of Instruction Checklist     227
Funeral Planning     228
The New Funeral     229
The High-Tech Funeral     231
Memorial Stone     231
Legacy Wants     232
Legacy Wishes: Assisting Family, Friends, and Future Generations to Remember     233
All Things Must Pass     234
A Guide to Your Personal Identity     235
Getting Started     235
Family Tree Preparation     237
Legacy Wishes     239
Your Legacy Wills: Your Safety Your Rights, and Your Records     241
A Guide to Medical Safety     241
Patients' Rights     244
Patient's Bill of Rights     244
Your Records     246
What Is a Covered Entity?     249
Medical Identity Theft     250
Personal Information Storage     251
Legacy Wills     253
Conclusion     255
Classy Communicating     256
Your Wants, Wishes, and Wills     258
Your Wants, Wishes, and Wills     259
Additional Resources      261
Suggested Readings List     261
Web Site Resources     262
Glossary     265
Index     279