Advance Healthcare Directive Information - Georgia Wills and Trusts

4 PARTS OF GEORGIA ADVANCE HEALTHCARE DIRECTIVE:

PART ONE
HEALTH CARE AGENT. This part allows you to choose someone to make health care decisions for you when you cannot (or do not want to) make health care decisions for yourself. The person you choose is called a health care agent. You may also have your health care agent make decisions for you after your death with respect to an autopsy, organ donation, body donation, and final disposition of your body. You should talk to your health care agent about this important role.

PART TWO
TREATMENT PREFERENCES. This part allows you to state your treatment preferences if you have a terminal condition or if you are in a state of permanent unconsciousness. PART TWO will become effective only if you are unable to communicate your treatment preferences. Reasonable and appropriate efforts will be made to communicate with you about your treatment preferences before PART TWO becomes effective. You should talk to your family and others close to you about your treatment preferences.

PART THREE
GUARDIANSHIP. This part allows you to nominate a person to be your guardian should one ever be needed.

PART FOUR
EFFECTIVENESS AND SIGNATURES. This part requires your signature and the signatures of two witnesses. You must complete PART FOUR if you have filled out any other part of this form.

EXECUTION AND USE OF GEORGIA ADVANCE HEALTHCARE DIRECTIVE
(a) Any person of sound mind who is emancipated or 18 years of age or older may execute a document which:

(1) Appoints a health care agent;

(2) Directs the withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining procedures or the withholding or withdrawal of the provision of nourishment or hydration when the declarant is in a terminal condition or state of permanent unconsciousness; or

(3) Covers matters contained in both paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection.

Such document shall be in writing, signed by the declarant or by some other person in the declarant’s presence and at the declarant’s express direction, and witnessed in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of this Code section.
(b) When a document substantially complying with Code Section 31-32-4 is executed in accordance with this Code section, it shall be treated as an advance directive for health care which complies with this Code section. No provision of this chapter shall be construed to bar a declarant from using any other form of advance directive for health care which complies with this Code section. A document covering any matter contained in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (a) of this Code section which was executed in another state and is valid under the laws of the state where executed shall be treated as an advance directive for health care which complies with this Code section.
(c)

(1) An advance directive for health care shall be attested and subscribed in the presence of the declarant by two witnesses who are of sound mind and at least 18 years of age, but such witnesses do not have to be together or present when the declarant signs the advance directive for health care.

(2) Neither witness can be a person who:

(A) Was selected to serve as the declarant’s health care agent;

(B) Will knowingly inherit anything from the declarant or otherwise knowingly gain a financial benefit from the declarant’s death; or

(3) Not more than one of the witnesses may be an employee, agent, or medical staff member of the health care facility in which the declarant is receiving health care.

(d) A physician or health care provider who is directly involved in the declarant’s health care may not serve as the declarant’s health care agent.
(e) A copy of an advance directive for health care executed in accordance with this Code section shall be valid and have the same meaning and effect as the original document.
(f) An advance directive for health care may be amended at any time by a written document signed by the declarant or by some other person in the declarant’s presence and at the declarant’s express direction, and witnessed in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of this Code section.

REVOCATION OF ADVANCE DIRECTIVE FOR HEALTHCARE
(a) An advance directive for health care may be revoked at any time by the declarant, without regard to the declarant’s mental state or competency, by any of the following methods:

(1) By completing a new advance directive for health care that has provisions which are inconsistent with the provisions of a previously executed advance directive for health care, living will, or durable power of attorney for health care; provided, however, that such revocation shall extend only so far as the inconsistency exists between the documents and any part of a prior document that is not inconsistent with a subsequent document shall remain unrevoked;

(2) By being obliterated, burned, torn, or otherwise destroyed by the declarant or by some person in the declarant’s presence and at the declarant’s direction indicating an intention to revoke;

(3) By a written revocation clearly expressing the intent of the declarant to revoke the advance directive for health care signed and dated by the declarant or by a person acting at the declarant’s direction. If the declarant is receiving health care in a health care facility, revocation of an advance directive for health care will become effective only upon communication to the attending physician by the declarant or by a person acting at the declarant’s direction. The attending physician shall record in the declarant’s medical record the time and date when the attending physician received notification of the written revocation; or

(4) By an oral or any other clear expression of the intent to revoke the advance directive for health care in the presence of a witness 18 years of age or older who, within 30 days of the expression of such intent, signs and dates a writing confirming that such expression of intent was made. If the declarant is receiving health care in a health care facility, revocation of an advance directive for health care will become effective only upon communication to the attending physician by the declarant or by a person acting at the declarant’s direction. The attending physician shall record in the declarant’s medical record the time, date, and place of the revocation and the time, date, and place, if different, when the attending physician received notification of the revocation. Any person, other than the health care agent, to whom an oral or other nonwritten revocation of an advance directive for health care is communicated or delivered shall make all reasonable efforts to inform the health care agent of that fact as promptly as possible.

(b) Unless an advance directive for health care expressly provides otherwise, if after executing an advance directive for health care, the declarant marries, such marriage shall revoke the designation of a person other than the declarant’s spouse as the declarant’s health care agent, and if, after executing an advance directive for health care, the declarant’s marriage is dissolved or annulled, such dissolution or annulment shall revoke the designation of the declarant’s former spouse as the declarant’s health care agent.

(c) An advance directive for health care which survives disability, incapacity, or incompetency shall not be revoked solely by the appointment of a guardian or receiver for the declarant. Absent an order of the probate court or superior court having jurisdiction directing a guardian of the person to exercise the powers of the declarant under an advance directive for health care which survives disability, incapacity, or incompetency, the guardian of the person has no power, duty, or liability with respect to any health care matters covered by the advance directive for health care; provided, however, that no order usurping the authority of a health care agent known to the proposed guardian shall be entered unless notice is sent by first-class mail to the health care agent’s last known address and it is shown by clear and convincing evidence that the health care agent is acting in a manner inconsistent with the power of attorney.