Just because you are in fine health now does not mean you will always be. An illness or an accident could take your good health away in an instant and leave you fighting for your life.
What would you want to do in a situation like that? Would you want to accept any and every medical option available that could potentially help you stay alive? Or would you consider certain procedures too intrusive, or overly optimistic and prefer to just let nature take its course?
Such decisions can be hard to make, not just for you, but for the doctors treating you and your loved ones. Yet, if you are unable to communicate your wishes in the moment someone else is going to have to make those calls. There are two ways you can plan for this:
Nominate someone to speak up for you
Picking someone is one way to handle matters. You can use your estate plan to give someone health care power of attorney. This means that they are the ones the doctors should consult with, rather than all the other family members or friends who may be clamoring to have their voices heard.
Write down some of your choices in advance
You can also use a living will to document some of the decisions you would like made. For instance, if the thought of being kept alive on feeding tubes horrifies you, then you can state you don’t want that to happen.
You can pick one of these options or choose both for a more comprehensive solution with the power of attorney stepping in for issues your living will has not covered. Learning more about how to do this is an important step when making your estate plan.
