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Louisiana Advance Directive

A Louisiana Advance Directive (or "Declaration Concerning Life-Sustaining Procedures") is a legal document that sets forth your wishes in relation to medical care, such as your refusal of or request for specific medical treatments, and/or appointment of a trusted healthcare agent.

The person making an Advance Directive is called the "principal," and the people or organizations receiving authority to carry out the principal's wishes are known as "agents." Designed for Louisiana residents, this Advance Directive is made for use in Jefferson Parish County, Orleans Parish County, East Baton Rouge Parish County, and in every other county or municipality throughout the state. Each Louisiana Advance Directive from Rocket Lawyer can be tailored for your unique situation. With this legal document on hand, your healthcare providers will have a point of reference for your preferences, and your representative will be able to offer proof that they have the authority to act in your interest.

It is fast and simple to outline your medical wishes using a free Louisiana Advance Directive template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make your Advance Directive - Answer a few questions, and we will do the rest
2. Send or share - Review the document with your healthcare agent(s) or seek legal help
3. Sign it - Required or not, notarization and witnesses are a best practice

This solution, in many cases, would be much less time-consuming than hiring and working with a traditional law firm. If needed, you can fill out an Advance Directive on behalf of your spouse or another family member, and then help that person sign when ready. Please keep in mind that for this document to be valid, the principal must be mentally competent at the time of signing. In the event that the principal has already been declared legally incompetent, a court-appointed conservatorship generally will be necessary. When managing such a situation, it would be best to speak to an attorney.

If you are over 18 years old, you ought to have an Advance Healthcare Directive (both a Healthcare Power of Attorney and a Living Will) in place. Even though it's unpleasant to acknowledge, there will likely come a time when you are no longer able to make your own healthcare decisions. Typical situations in which you may consider it helpful to make or update your Advance Directive include:

• You've been diagnosed with a terminal condition
• You are facing the possibility of medical procedure or period of hospitalization
• You have plans to live in a community care facility
• You are getting older or dealing with ongoing health issues

Regardless of whether this Louisiana Advance Directive is being made as a result of a recent change in your health or as part of a forward-looking plan, witnesses and notarization are highly recommended as a best practice for protecting your document if a third party disputes its authority.

Making an Advance Directive is usually easy to do; however, you may still need legal advice. Seeking out a legal professional to proofread your document can take a lot of time if you try to do it alone. Another approach worth consideration is to request help from the On Call network. Rocket Lawyer members can request guidance from an attorney with relevant experience or get answers to additional legal questions. As always, you can live confidently knowing that Rocket Lawyer is by your side.

The cost of hiring a lawyer to produce an Advance Directive could be anywhere between two hundred and one thousand dollars, depending on where you are. Unlike other Advance Directive template providers that you may come across elsewhere, Rocket Lawyer offers Premium members up to a 40% discount when hiring a lawyer, so an attorney from our network can review the situation and take action if you ever need support.

As a Rocket Lawyer member, you will be able to make edits, save it as a PDF document or Word file, or print it out. In order to finalize your Advance Directive, it will need to be signed. Be sure that your agent(s) and care providers get a copy of your fully executed document. Your Advance Directive can be filed with the Lousiana End of Life Registry, if desired.

The requirements will vary in each state; however, in Louisiana, your Advance Directive requires the signatures of two witnesses. As a general standard, witnesses must be at least 18 years old, and no witness should also be named as your healthcare agent.

See legal references for an Advance Directive in Louisiana: RS 40:1151