1. It is a fact that most people don’t die suddenly.  They first become so ill or injured that they are unable to make decisions or communicate decisions regarding their own health care.  That can cause a dilemma.
  2. An Advance Healthcare Directive lets an adult state what medical care they would want if they became terminally ill and unable to think or communicate.  A medical power of attorney for healthcare allows a person to designate a friend or family member as their agent to make healthcare decisions for them if they can no longer make those decisions themselves and it can give the agent guidelines to make those decisions.
  3. If a person knows what medical attention they would want if they were terminally ill, they could state what they wanted and those wishes would generally be respected.
  4. If you only take a few minutes now to plan for a few very common worst-case scenarios, it could greatly ease great suffering and feelings of guilt for those you love.
  5. You can have others make health care decisions for you if you have it in a legal writing.  Just telling them verbally what you want often isn’t enough.
  6. You can keep family members from arguing over what to do with you if you put it in writing.
  7. If you choose what will happen to you if you get very sick before you go to a hospital or nursing home, you can maintain that control of the last part of your life.
  8. Any adult could decide to be an organ donor so that at the end of their life they might be able to save the life of another or improve the lives of several others.
  9. Even if your body cannot be used for organ donation, it can be donated to science or the study of medicine before being respectfully cremated.
  10. The Power of attorney for healthcare and the advance health care directives can be used individually or together along with other methods of estate planning.  Talk to a good estate planning attorney about your options.  Peter Wallis, Attorney and Counselor at Law, 888-521-4560.