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Oregon Advance Directive

An Oregon Advance Directive is a legal document that lays out your wishes in relation to medical care, such as your acceptance or refusal of a certain medical treatment or procedure, and/or the naming of a chosen healthcare decision maker.

The individual making an Advance Directive is known as the "principal," while the people or organizations gaining permission to carry out the principal's wishes are called "agents." Suitable for Oregon residents, this Advance Directive is made for use in Washington County, Clackamas County, Multnomah County, and in every other county throughout the state. Any Oregon Advance Directive from Rocket Lawyer can be customized to address your unique scenario. As a result of this essential legal document, your healthcare institutions will have a point of reference for your preferences, and your representative(s) can offer confirmation that they have been authorized to make choices for you when you are not able.

It's quick and easy to outline your medical wishes with a free Oregon Advance Directive template from Rocket Lawyer:

1. Make your Advance Directive - Provide a few basic details, and we will do the rest
2. Send or share it - Go over your wishes with your healthcare agent or ask a legal question
3. Sign it - Required or not, notarization/witnesses are ideal

This method, in many cases, would be notably less time-consuming than hiring a traditional lawyer. If necessary, you can prepare an Advance Directive on behalf of your spouse, an elderly parent, or another family member, and then help that person sign it after you've drafted it. Keep in mind that for this document to be legally valid, the principal must be an adult who is mentally competent when they sign. In the event that the principal has already been declared legally incompetent, a conservatorship might be required. When facing this situation, it's best for you to talk to a lawyer.

Anyone who is over 18 years old ought to have an Advance Healthcare Directive (both a Healthcare Power of Attorney and a Living Will). Even though it may be difficult to think about, there could come a time when you aren't able to make your own medical decisions. Here are a few common occasions in which you might find it helpful to make or update your Advance Directive:

• You are aging or have declining health
• You currently live in or are planning to move into a community care facility
• You expect to undergo a medical procedure requiring anesthesia
• You are currently managing a terminal illness

Regardless of whether this Oregon Advance Directive has been drafted as part of a forward-looking plan or made as a result of a change in your health, witnesses and/or notarization can help to protect your agent if their authority is questioned by a third party.

Making an Advance Directive is typically simple; however, you or your agent(s) might need legal advice. Hiring a legal professional to provide feedback on your Advance Directive may take a long time if you attempt to do it alone. An easier approach could be via attorney services at Rocket Lawyer. Rocket Lawyer members can ask for guidance from an attorney with relevant experience or pose additional legal questions. As always, you can be confident that Rocket Lawyer is by your side.

The cost of hiring and working with a conventional law firm to produce an Advance Directive could be anywhere between $200 and $1,000, depending on where you are located. Rocket Lawyer can offer much more protection than other Advance Directive template providers that you may encounter elsewhere. As a Rocket Lawyer Premium member, you can get up to 40% in savings when hiring an attorney from our network.

As a Rocket Lawyer member, you can edit it, save it in PDF format or as a Word file, or print it. In order to make the Oregon Medical Directive into a legally binding document, you need to sign it. Your agent(s), care providers, and other impacted parties should get copies of your final document.

The guidelines and restrictions governing Advance Directives vary by state; however, in Oregon, your document needs to be signed by two witnesses or notarized. The selected witnesses should not include your attending physician, and at least one should not be related to you (such as a spouse, adopted child, or family member) or any other heir/beneficiary. The owners, operators, and employees of your healthcare facility and/or residential care facility are also prohibited. As a basic standard, witnesses will need to be at least age 18, and no witness should simultaneously be named as your healthcare agent.

See legal references for an Advance Directive in Oregon: ORS 127.510