Nobody wants to think about what would happen if they were to become incapacitated. However, it’s critical to do so in order to plan for the future. With the right legal documents in place, you can protect yourself and ensure your wishes will be fulfilled when it comes to your medical care. By creating a healthcare POA, a living will, or a combined advance directive, you can make sure you will have control over your medical decisions no matter what.
A Living Will
A living will is a document that states what type of end-of-life treatment you want should you become incapacitated with a brain injury, Alzheimer’s, or some other serious illness or injury. You can state whether or not you want to be put on life support and resuscitated, for instance. Then, your loved ones and medical professionals will have to follow what this document stipulates, even if they want something different for you.
A Healthcare POA
A healthcare POA, or power of attorney, is a document that designates who will ensure that your medical wishes are upheld in case you cannot make any decisions. While a living will is only used for end-of-life treatment, a healthcare POA will cover other types of treatment, too. A medical professional is going to determine whether or not you are able to make decisions regarding your treatment before bringing in your healthcare POA to do it for you.
Combined Advance Directive
A combined advance directive is a combination of a living will and a healthcare POA. Before filling out this document, you can go over all the kinds of treatments it covers with your healthcare provider.
Contacting an Attorney for Help
If you need help creating legal documents for incapacity, then get in touch with the estate planning attorneys at Legacy Law Group in Eastern Washington, Spokane Valley, and Spokane itself. Call us at (509) 315-8087.
