A Health Care Advance Directive can help you plan for all situations in the future.
A successful estate plan should include plans for the end of your life but should also address numerous situations besides death that may arise and which also require planning. A comprehensive estate plan established with your estate planning attorney at The Millman Law Group will include a variety of estate planning tools and documents. One of the most common tools people include is a Health Care Advance Directive. So what is this, and why is it important to include in your estate plan?
What Is a Health Care Advance Directive?
A Health Care Advance Directive is a legal document that lets you make your end-of-life wishes known in situations where you cannot communicate these wishes later. The State of Florida recognizes the following types of Health Care Advance Directives:
- Designation of Health Care Surrogate: This document lets you name someone as your healthcare representative who can make decisions about your medical care if you can no longer speak for yourself. These decisions include choices regarding life support. Your health care surrogate activates if you are incapacitated and cannot provide informed consent for medical treatment or surgical or diagnostic procedures.
- Living Will: A Florida Living Will activates if you have a terminal condition, end-stage condition, or are in a persistent vegetative state. When your attending physician or other consulting physician determines that there is no medical probability of your recovery from your condition, the living will outlines your wishes in these situations.
Why Do We Recommend a Health Care Advance Directive?
Every day, you make decisions about how you will live your life. You most likely want the same opportunity to decide how your end-of-life healthcare unfolds as well. However, we can never predict the future, so it’s highly beneficial to outline what you want well before any illness or injury strikes.
With a Health Care Advance Directive in place, someone who doesn’t understand your wishes very well may be appointed to make these critical health care decisions for you. If more than one person petitions the court to be your Agent, your family members may end up in a costly and divisive court battle over the right to make these care decisions for you.
Make Decisions for Your Future
If you have strong beliefs about receiving or refusing life-sustaining end-of-life care, a Health Care Advance Directive is the only way to guarantee that your views are honored. If you believe your family members may find it challenging to make pragmatic decisions for you, drafting a Health Care Advance Directive today takes the burden of choice off of them in the future.
If you want to establish concrete plans for your health in these potential scenarios, your estate planning attorney can help you draft a document that supports your personal wishes.
Estate Planning Made Easy With Millman Law Group
Millman Law Group, PLLC is rare because it’s one of the only law firms that offer life planning in South Florida. From life care planning to the preparation of detailed estate plans, Millman Law Group has committed to serving Floridian elderly communities in Boca Raton, Palm Beach County, Ocean Ridge, Hillsboro Beach, and many other areas since 2018. Our dedicated team also specializes in special needs trusts and catering to any age demographic because we know for certain it’s never too early to start preparing you and your family for your future. For the latest news in estate planning and elder care law, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and Pinterest. You can also contact us at 561-463-6480.