Health Care Powers and Living Wills
Health Care Powers of Attorney
Health Care Powers of Attorney are an essential part of an estate plan because it allows the person you designate as your “agent” to make medical decisions when you are not capable of doing so. They can also take care of funeral and disposition arrangements (cremation or burial) for you. Having a Health Care Power of Attorney can avoid the need for the Court to appoint a guardian.
Living Wills (Medical Directives)
A person can create a document called a living will to control the health care treatment decisions that are made on their behalf. Typically a Living Will is attached to a Health Care Power of Attorney. You can provide instructions such as whether or not you want artificially administered foods or fluids if you have a terminal condition that your doctors feel reasonable think is irreversible or incurable.