Advance Health Care Directive Documents in Redding, CA
An advance health care directive does two things: it names the person who can make medical decisions if you cannot, and it writes down what you want that person to do.
Families end up in impossible positions when neither has been written down. Beacon prepares the document at your direction — the decisions in it are entirely yours, and this office cannot advise you on any of them.
I am not an attorney. I can only provide self-help services at your specific direction.
Who this helps
You are going in for surgery
Hospitals routinely ask whether you have one. Having it prepared beforehand is easier than filling out a form at admissions.
You are caring for an aging parent
It is one of the documents families most wish they had done earlier.
Your family does not agree about what you would want
Naming one decision-maker and writing your wishes down settles that in advance.
You are putting an estate package together
Prepared alongside a will or trust and a financial power of attorney.
Documents Beacon may prepare
Prepared at your specific direction. Availability depends on your matter — ask at the consultation.
- Advance health care directive, prepared at your direction
- Power of attorney for health care as part of the directive
- Written individual health care instructions
- HIPAA authorization so your agent can access medical records
- Revocation of a prior directive
- Copies prepared for your physician, your agent and your records
What to bring
Bringing these to the first appointment usually means the matter can start the same week.
- Photo identification
- Full legal name, address and phone number of the person you want to appoint as your agent, and an alternate
- Your physician's name and contact information
- Any written wishes you already have, or notes on what you want to include
- Any existing directive you want replaced
How the process works
- 1
Call or text
Say whether this is on its own or part of a wider estate package.
- 2
Free 30-minute consultation
Beacon explains what the directive covers and what preparation costs. What goes into it is for you to decide.
- 3
Documents prepared at your direction
Your agent and your instructions, written clearly in the form's structure.
- 4
Signed, witnessed and distributed
Executed to California's requirements, with copies for your agent and your doctor. A directive nobody has a copy of does not help.
What Beacon can and cannot do here
Stated plainly, on every page. If any document service is vague about this, that is worth noticing.
What Beacon can do
Prepare an advance health care directive at your direction
Prepare a HIPAA authorization alongside it
Explain the general witnessing and notarization requirements California publishes
Prepare a revocation of a prior directive
Prepare it as part of a wider estate document package
What Beacon cannot do
Advise you on any medical decision or treatment preference
Advise you who to name as your agent
Advise you on what your instructions should say
Serve as your agent or as a witness where the law excludes an interested party
Give any legal or medical advice about the consequences of your choices
I am not an attorney. I can only provide self-help services at your specific direction.
What commonly causes delays
General procedural information, not advice about your matter.
- 01The signing requirements are specific — witnesses or a notary, and certain people are excluded from witnessing.
- 02A directive nobody has a copy of. Your agent and your physician both need one.
- 03Naming an agent without telling them, or without naming an alternate.
- 04A directive that conflicts with a POLST form completed later at a hospital.
- 05Instructions written so generally that the agent still has to guess.
Questions
Still unsure? Call or text (530) 932-2334 and ask. Procedural questions are always fair to ask.
What is the difference between this and a living will?
In California the advance health care directive is the standard document, and it combines naming a health care agent with recording your written instructions. The phrase 'living will' is commonly used for the instructions part.
Can Beacon help me decide what my directive should say?
No. Those are personal and medical decisions and advising on them is outside what a Legal Document Assistant may do. Your physician can discuss the medical side, and an attorney can advise on the legal side.
Does it need to be notarized?
California allows an advance health care directive to be either notarized or signed by two qualifying witnesses. Certain people are excluded from witnessing. Beacon will explain the requirements and help you arrange it.
Who should have a copy?
Your agent, your alternate agent, your physician, and anyone likely to be with you in a hospital. Beacon prepares copies as part of the work.
Related services
Ready to get your health care directives paperwork done?
Call or text (530) 932-2334 for a free 30-minute consultation. You will get a straight answer about whether this is document preparation or something that needs an attorney.
I am not an attorney. I can only provide self-help services at your specific direction.