HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVES
An Advance Directive is a paper that lets you choose someone to make healthcare decisions for you if you can't. It also lets you say what kind of care you want if you’re very sick. This way, your wishes are known even if you can't talk about them yourself.
Three Health Care Documents You Need to Include in Your Estate Plan. Click the photo to read the blog.
An Advance Health Care Directive is like a Power of Attorney, but it only deals with healthcare choices.
Types of Advance Health Care Directives
An Advance Health Care Directive, like a Power of Attorney, can work in two different ways depending on when it starts.
- Springing: Most people choose a “springing” Advance Health Care Directive, which only starts if they can't make decisions anymore. This happens when two doctors or a court say you can't make decisions. When that happens, the power to make healthcare choices goes from you to the person you picked, called the “Agent.”
- Immediate: Some people, especially older ones, choose an immediate Advance Health Care Directive. This lets their Agent make healthcare decisions right away, even if they can still make their own choices.
Customizing Your End-of-Life Choices
An Advance Health Care Directive lets you choose what you want at the end of your life, covering important things like:
- Life Support: Choose if you want to stay on life support if there’s little chance of getting better. If you don’t want life support, how will your Agent know? Should two doctors agree on your condition? If you do want to stay on life support, how long should it be—forever, 10 days, or 30 days?
- Organ Donation: Choose if you want to donate your organs and if they should be used for transplants or research. An Advance Health Care Directive can be changed to fit what you want.
Without this directive, your loved ones might have to go through a long and costly court process to make healthcare decisions for you. Planning ahead with an Advance Health Care Directive is a better and easier choice.
For help with your Advance Health Care Directive, call us at (978) 440-0014 or visit our Contact Us page. The first meeting for estate planning is free.