North Dakota Statutory Health Care Directive
Overview of this form
The Statutory Health Care Directive is a legally recognized document in North Dakota that allows you to appoint an individual as your health care agent. This agent will make healthcare decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so. This form grants broad powers related to physical and mental health treatment decisions and helps ensure your healthcare preferences are respected when you cannot voice them yourself. Unlike other healthcare documents, this directive specifically follows the guidelines of the North Dakota Century Code, ensuring compliance with state laws.
Form components explained
- Appointment of Health Care Agent: Designate a trusted individual to make healthcare decisions for you.
- Health Care Instructions: Provide specific guidance on your healthcare preferences and values.
- Organ Donation: Indicate your wishes regarding organ and tissue donation upon death.
- Legal Validation: Ensure the directive is either notarized or witnessed for legal effectiveness.
When to use this document
This form is essential in situations where you want to prepare for potential future medical emergencies. Use it if you want to ensure that your healthcare preferences are known and respected, particularly if you fear becoming incapacitated due to illness or injury. It is also beneficial for individuals who wish to relieve their family members from making difficult health decisions during emotional times.
Who can use this document
- Individuals who want to designate a health care agent to make decisions if they become incapacitated.
- Residents of North Dakota who wish to ensure their healthcare wishes are documented legally.
- Those interested in ensuring their end-of-life preferences, including organ donation, are clearly outlined.
Steps to complete this form
- Fill in your name and appoint your health care agent in Part I of the form.
- If you choose, you can designate an alternate health care agent in case your primary agent is unavailable.
- Complete Part II with your health care instructions, detailing your beliefs, values, and specific medical treatment preferences.
- Sign the document in Part IV, ensuring it is dated and completed with either a notary public or two qualified witnesses.
- Discuss your decisions with your agent and any alternate agents to ensure they understand your wishes.
Does this form need to be notarized?
This form needs to be notarized to ensure legal validity. US Legal Forms provides secure online notarization powered by Notarize, allowing you to complete the process through a verified video call, available anytime.
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Make edits, fill in missing information, and update formatting in US Legal Forms—just like you would in MS Word.
Download a copy, print it, send it by email, or mail it via USPS—whatever works best for your next step.
Sign and collect signatures with our SignNow integration. Send to multiple recipients, set reminders, and more. Go Premium to unlock E-Sign.
If this form requires notarization, complete it online through a secure video call—no need to meet a notary in person or wait for an appointment.
We protect your documents and personal data by following strict security and privacy standards.
Avoid these common issues
- Not discussing the directive with your appointed health care agent beforehand.
- Failing to sign or date the document properly.
- Not ensuring the form is notarized or witnessed as required.
- Leaving parts of the form incomplete, which can lead to ambiguity regarding your wishes.
Quick recap
- The Statutory Health Care Directive allows you to appoint someone to make health care decisions for you if you are unable.
- Clear instructions about your medical preferences can significantly ease decisions for your loved ones.
- Legal validation through notarization or witnessing is crucial for the directive's enforceability.
- It is important to revisit and discuss your health care directives periodically with your appointed agent.
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FAQ
An advance directive, alone, may not be sufficient to stop all forms of life-saving treatment. You may also need specific do not resuscitate, or DNR orders.You retain the right to override the decisions or your representative, change the terms of your living will or POA, or completely revoke an advance directive.
The name and contact information of your healthcare agent/proxy. Answers to specific questions about your preferences for care if you become unable to speak for yourself. Names and signatures of individuals who witness your signing your advance directive, if required.
Advance Directives They must be portable; they can be available wherever you are in the world. They must be available in a timely manner. They must be in a safe place, protected from theft, fire, flood or other natural disasters.
The living will. Durable power of attorney for health care/Medical power of attorney. POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) Do not resuscitate (DNR) orders. Organ and tissue donation.
Advance directives generally fall into three categories: living will, power of attorney, and health care proxy.
As long as you can still make your own decisions, your advance directive won't be used. You can change or cancel it at any time. Your health care agent will only make choices for you if you can't or don't want to decide for yourself.
An advance directive is a set of instructions someone prepares in advance of ill health that determines his healthcare wishes. A living will is one type of advance directive that becomes effective when a person is terminally ill.
Advance directives are oral and written instructions about future medical care should your parent become unable to make decisions (for example, unconscious or too ill to communicate).A living will is one type of advance directive. It takes effect when the patient is terminally ill.
Your health care agent and any alternative agents. Your doctor. Your hospital chart. A safe spot in your home. Carry it with you.
