Monday, June 26, 2023

You Need a Power of Attorney for Healthcare that protects your life

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

EPC received a call concerning health care decision-making for a parent. Based on privacy, I will not get into the specifics, but the person who contacted us was seeking advice on how to protect their parent from the medical decisions being made by a sibling who was appointed by the parent as the Power of Attorney for Personal care (substitute decision maker).

The person, who contacted us was the care-giver for the parent, but was not appointed by the parent as the healthcare substitute decision maker. The parent is now in the hospital and incompetent. The person who contacted us stated that the sibling was denying the parent effective medical treatment.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition sells the Life-Protecting Power of Attorney for Personal Care for $10 + taxes. $10 is a cheap price to protect your life.

Note: Representation agreements such as a Power of Attorney for Personal Care, Living Will, MOLST, POLST, etc. have different names in different jurisdiction.

The person who called us wanted to know how to over-ride the decisions of their sibling. Since the parent appointed the sibling as the substitute decision maker and the parent is incompetent to make decisions, unless serious concerns can be proven in court, the sibling who was appointed to make medical decisions has the right to do so.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition  advises people to only appoint someone to be your substitute decisions maker if that person shares your values.

The Life Protecting Power of Attorney for Personal Care protects you from euthanasia and assisted suicide. It
ensures that your power of attorney will follow your values by defining the basic treatment decisions that you want in the event that you are unable to make decisions for yourself.

The Life Protecting Power of Attorney for Personal Care gives you the peace of mind that the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition will help you if your expressed wishes are ignored or if a hospital or doctor pressures or attempts to impose decisions upon you.

Order the Life Protecting Power of Attorney for Personal Care (Information Link) for $10 + tax at: 1-877-439-3348 or info@epcc.ca

19 comments:

  1. There are different forms for provinces- do you have those posted here??

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  2. The link in the blog article works: https://epcc.ca/product/life-protecting-power-of-attorney-for-personal-care/

    If you want a USA form just email us at info@epcc.ca

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  3. Can this form be used in my Country

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  4. You can access the USA form at https://epc-usa.org/resources/

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  5. I do not understand why the EPC is charging money for the Power of Attorney for Healthcare.
    It should be on your webpage for downloading.

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  6. My understand is if you have an advanced directive it would override the decision of a substituted decision maker.

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  7. We are a not for profit organization. The $10 for the Power of Attorney document is a cheap price to protect your life and provides a small income for the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. If everything was free there wouldn't be a Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.

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    1. Alex, what's the difference between your POA form and a free one that can be downloaded for free and customized to the individual wishes and values?

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  8. The language within the document is everything.
    We have written this document to protect your life and ensure that you receive treatment that is of benefit to you, that you are not dehydrated to death or killed by euthanasia and that the person you appoint as power of attorney will be respected.

    It is also written with clear language that everyone will understand.

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  9. Ten dollars is a small price to pay for such a huge and life altering momentous piece of legal and binding paper! Thank you

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  10. Just a query: Does it cover starvation and pain management care?

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  11. Yes, it covers the questions of nutrition and hydration, DNR, pain management, but it clearly places the decision making power into the hands of the person who you have appointed as power of attorney.

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  12. I believe I paid for this when got a membership but did not receive? Would it have been a link for me to download?

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  13. Email us at info@epcc.ca and we will send it to you immediately.

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  14. Thank you for all the work you are doing for the protection of Human life - just as God has made clear to us in His written Word! Thankyou for making these forms available to us at such a reasonable price. A fraction of the cost of going to a law firm!
    May the LORD GOD bless you & protect you!

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  15. Thank you Alex for all that you and your members do. Its great to see you take the initiative to help everyone who reaches out. I've attended a few of your sessions and it was great. God Bless

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  16. Oh my goodness! My late mother was actually dehydrated to death! She was diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment and six months later she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She died two years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She was hospitalized because the nursing home she was in did not believe she really had Alzheimer’s because her symptoms were not the same as other patients with Alzheimer’s, therefore they had no idea how to deal with her. They thought she needed to be in a Mental Health hospital. My mother was hospitalized from the nursing home and died in the hospital. The hospital at first were not aware that she had a Health Directive and she also had a power of attorney. The way the doctor explained to us ten days before she died was that they could not do any more for her but keep her comfortable with pain medication, she said she had no longer than 5-7 days to live. I remember my son came to visit her and he was horrified because he knew she needed food and drink. She survived for ten days without food and water and I never actually thought the hospital just deliberately dehydrated her to death, until now. The doctor made it sound like there was no other option. Oh my word, how many other families are dealing with this and not even aware because they would be in a state themselves having a loved one in hospital battling illness, and trusting the doctors and not even aware of what’s truly happening. This is the world we are living in today!! Another group that needs advocating is the private Community Care Homes and private residential senior retirement homes. These are huge private businesses and many of them contain seniors who are nothing more than walking zombies because of the medications they are being fed. It’s sad!! If COVID did anything it exposed how many of our Seniors are being poorly treated!! (This wasn’t just because of COVID) Pray without ceasing for our dear Seniors!

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  17. Does this document apply in Quebec as well?

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  18. Does this document have any legal weight if it does not carry the legal imprint of a certified lawyer?

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