Unexpected things happen all the time. As we get older, the chances are greater that we'll be admitted to a hospital in a comatose state, receive a diagnosis of a terminal illness or find ourselves needing the services of a nursing home. Family members may not always be around during a medical emergency or worse, may not know what to do when healthcare decisions need to be made. Initiating directives to express your financial and medical desires is not as complicated as it sounds.
Know what your options are
A Living Will allows you to make advanced decisions on treatments you do or do not want, including the right to decline any life sustaining treatments. A Living Will does not become effective unless it is an end of life situation. Power of Attorney (POA) enables you to name someone to act as your agent in financial and/or healthcare matters, depending on what you want. You can designate separate persons for financial and healthcare decisions, more than one person, or a surrogate POA to act as secondary, if the primary POA is unavailable. A POA doesn't have to be a family member. Select someone you trust to follow your wishes, even if they don't agree with them. Because of the responsibility involved, you should speak with the individual you select to be sure they're comfortable with being a POA. A Power of Attorney doesn't go into effect, until it's noted by two physicians that you're not capable of making decisions for yourself. Many times a person is still capable and a POA believes because they have Power of Attorney, they can make decisions. This is not true. You can also change your designated POA and their powers at any time. In instances where you have not made advanced plans, your next of kin would be responsible for making decisions on your behalf. However, it remains difficult for them to help you with your financial responsibilities without that POA. The court can be petitioned to have a guardianship appointed to act as POA if there is no next of kin. This is an unnecessary burden and expense. As you approach senior age, advanced health care/financial directives will help you feel more comfortable with decisions made on your behalf. Otherwise, family and loved ones may not be clear as to what you want or may find it emotionally difficult to follow through. There is no risk at being prepared now and, acting now could prevent many problems later. This is not legal advice. Please consult an attorney with any questions.
(Provided by Mountain View: A Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Coal Township, "Sensible Seniors" appears on the Health and Fitness page each month.)