You may have executed a will and consider that you have done all of the estate planning that you need to do. Unfortunately, wills only become effective after you die. Prior to your death, you may become incapacitated and unable to make decisions for yourself. This is where an Advanced Health Care Directive (AHCD) becomes valuable.
An AHCD is designated to allow you to express your wishes to the medical community and a person of your choosing as to how you wish to be treated medically if you reach a position of incapacity or become terminally ill and are facing an “End of Life” decision. Many people have a desire not to be placed on life support, while others wish to be kept alive with the hope that some recovery will occur. It is only through an AHCD that you can make these wishes known.
In addition to End of Life decisions, an advanced health care directive also allows you to appoint someone to make decisions for you if you are unable to do so for yourself. Further, you can specify your funeral or burial plans, as well as making determinations concerning donation of organs or your body to science. Without an advanced health care directive, your family may be left with the difficult task of filing for guardianship with the probate court. This process can be tedious and costly. With proper planning this can all be avoided, making a very difficult problem for your family more easily handled.
Please contact us for more information on Advanced Health Care Directives.
