Choosing a Patient Advocate

When it comes to picking a patient advocate to make medical decisions for you, it is extremely important that you ask a lot of questions.  The first question to ask is does this person have the same beliefs as you do with regard to end of life care?  Does this person take a position socially or religiously that would prevent them from honoring the wishes that you may have?  Is the individual that you are going to designate flexible enough to be there when a medical situation arises?  For example, do they live out of state and do not have the financial stability to travel or to take time off from work to deal with your situation?  Oddly enough. it may be important to make sure that the person you designate does not have a financial interest in your estate.  I recently heard from a doctor that he overheard family members talking about keeping grandma on life support until her Social Security check cleared.  That may not be the best person to designate as your patient advocate.  Alternatively, you may not want to name a family member that is greedy and is looking to get their inheritance sooner than later.  I know for many people it is hard to believe that they would have someone like that in their family or their life, but these are important decisions that need to be made and you need the right person for the job.