Is your Advanced Health Care Directive up to date?
According to the divorce attorney who allegedly handled the couple’s divorce in August 2008, Gary Coleman and Shannon Price were no longer married at the time of Coleman’s death last friday. That leaves some question as to whether Price had proper authority to make medical related decisions on the behalf of the late actor.
It appears that with the permission of Price, the Utah medical center where Coleman was treated released a copy of an Advanced Health Care Directive which the couple had prepared before their split. It provided Price with permission to make medical decisions on Coleman’s behalf and did not indicate any restrictions following a divorce.
The details are still working themselves out but it appears that the hospital followed proper procedure and allowed Price, Coleman’s identified agent, to request that life support be removed. While it seems odd to me that authority would not lapse once a divorce is final, some people close to the couple suggest that they were still very much involved in each others lives and would not be surprised if the couple had intended to permit each other to continue to make these types of decisions.
So what can you learn from Gary Coleman? Make sure that your documents are up to date and say what you want them to say. You may be happy to have a former spouse make health related decisions on your behalf but many might be afraid to give them such power. It’s ultimately up to you to plan for your own best interest.
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