People who are setting up an estate plan often focus heavily on handing their assets down to their beneficiaries, but that’s not the only consideration. When crafting yours, you will also have to think about what will happen if you become incapacitated.
One of the decisions that has to be made involves your medical care. You can make certain decisions ahead of time about a variety of situations that might come up. Putting them in writing in an advance health care directives will formalize information about your wishes so your medical care team knows what you need them to do.
Decisions to include in an advance directive
One of the main benefits of an advance directive is that it gives you time to think about what you’ll want. This includes making decisions about life sustaining treatment, resuscitation, breathing support, comfort care, intravenous hydration and feeding tubes.
Yet, your advance directive is only one aspect of your long-term care plan. Even if you have everything written out, you should still name someone to make other medical decisions for you. This person is your healthcare proxy, which is established by naming them as the designee on your healthcare power of attorney.
Once you have an advance directive set up, you should ensure that your healthcare proxy has a copy. You should also provide copies to your loved ones and medical care providers. The more people who have it, the more likely your medical team will be given a copy so they can follow your wishes.
Having a comprehensive estate plan in place gives your loved ones specific instructions about your wishes. Because these plans can be complex, it’s best to work with someone who understands what you want and can assist you with getting the plan created in a legally enforceable manner.
