A durable power of attorney for health care is a very important and necessary incapacity planning document. You should certainly prepare for the eventualities of aging when you are devising your estate plan, and unfortunately, many people do become unable to communicate medical decisions at some point in time.
Family members can disagree with regard to the correct course of action when there are no instructions left by the loved one in question. This can create difficulties during a time when members of the family should be coming together in support of one another.
You can nip this in the bud and make sure that a representative of your own choosing can act on your behalf in the event of your incapacitation if you execute a durable power of attorney for health care.
Take note of the durable designation. A power of attorney that is not durable would no longer be in effect upon the incapacitation of the person granting the power. A durable power of attorney would remain in effect, so these are the documents that are used for incapacity planning purposes.
When you have a durable power of attorney in place, a hand-picked decision-maker of your choosing will be empowered to make medical decisions on your behalf if you become unable to communicate them on your own.
End of Life Choices
A durable power of attorney for health care is an advance health care directive. While we are on the subject, we should also look at End of Life Choices. This is another advance directive for health care, and everyone should make their End of Life Choices.
In many instances, doctors can keep people alive for indefinite periods of time, even if there is no hope of recovery. This is often done through the utilization of life-sustaining measures like mechanical respiration, artificial nutrition, and artificial hydration.
When you put a Advance Health Care Directive in place, you express your wishes regarding the utilization of these measures. Physicians would be compelled to follow your instructions if you are ever in this position.
Free End-of Life Planning Report
If you would like to learn more about durable powers of attorney and end-of-life planning, we have a valuable resource that you can access quickly and easily through this website.
Our firm has prepared a special report on end-of-life planning, and it is being offered free of charge. To obtain your copy of the report, visit this page and follow the simple instructions: Free Special Report.
To Schedule a Consultation
If you are interested in the possibility of working with our firm after learning these facts, please select our “Workshops” tab to RSVP for a free estate planning workshop. At that workshop you will be offered a free one-hour consultation with an attorney. www.collinslawgroup.com/seminars/
- The Basics: Powers of Attorney for Healthcare - July 23, 2020
- The Basics: Financial Power of Attorney - July 21, 2020
- Removing Life Insurance from the Taxable Estate - July 16, 2020
