Advance Health Care Directives

What Are Advance Health Care Directives?

Advance health care directives are legal documents that express your wishes regarding the health care you desire if you become very sick or incapacitated, meaning you can no longer make decisions for yourself.

When a loved one becomes very ill or reaches the end of life, it can be hard for the people who love them to know what to do. An advance health care directive solves this difficult problem, though. In estate planning, advance healthcare directives enable individuals to remain in control of their healthcare, no matter what their current condition.

Not all advance health care directives are identical. In fact, they are designed to be fully customizable so that you can adapt them to your individual situation and desires.

Advance healthcare directive options include:

• A health care power of attorney
• Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders
• Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST)
• Living will

Advance health care directives are also what professionals in estate planning refer to as “living” documents. This means that they can be changed at anytime to reflect your changing health status, life situation, and wishes.

Who Needs An Advance Health Care Directive?

In short, the answer is everyone! Although more common among older people, advance health care directives are good legal documents to have, no matter how old you are or what your health condition is like at the moment. After all, accidents happen and people become ill out of the blue. In estate planning, it’s always wise to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Advance health care directives can help you do just that. These important documents tell the people who love you how you wish to be cared for if you become too sick or feeble to care for yourself.

Why Hire an Estate Planning Attorney for Your Advance Health Care Directive?

Preparing an advance health directive isn’t something you should do on your own. These are complex documents that must be able to stand up in court should they ever be disputed. That’s why you need an experienced estate planning lawyer to help you with this important aspect of estate planning. The professional legal staff at Ensberg Law Group can provide you with the assistance you need to put your affairs in order, so that you can have the peace of mind to enjoy your life now.