Confronting a serious health diagnosis is not easy. Both the patient and his or her close family members tend to go through gradual stages of acceptance, coping with the next big decision as they feel ready. When you are in the midst of medical decisions and treatment, it can be hard to think about anything else. However, if you are facing an illness that could one day compromise your ability to make decisions for yourself, you should also be making sure your current estate plan, and other legal documents are up-to-date. We offer this free publication as a guide for people who are dealing with a difficult diagnosis.
What You Will Learn With Our Free Guide
Even if you already have a comprehensive estate plan, you will want to review documents to make sure they take into consideration your possible incapacitation. Keep in mind that you can only draft or make changes to legal documents when you are considered to have “legal capacity.” Once your illness begins to affect your mental capacity, you will no longer be able to make legal decisions. Our quick and easy guide goes over all of the documents you should review, including the following:
- Directive to physicians (living will)
- Medical power of attorney
- HIPPA release
- Do not Resuscitate (DNR)
- Will
- Durable power of attorney
- Living trust
An estate planning attorney can take care of all of these documents and make sure they get into the right hands when they are needed.