Discussing plans for when you pass away can be extremely difficult for you and your loved ones. End-of-life planning is the steps you take to get your affairs in order and determine how you want to spend your last days.
Importance of End-Of-Life Planning
End-of-life planning is critical to ensuring your wishes are upheld when you become critically ill or pass away. If you become incapacitated with no chance of recovery, you may not wish to remain in this state. You can prevent your loved ones from making challenging decisions for you during such tragic circumstances by leaving instructions detailing your wishes for medical care, burial, funeral proceedings, and more.
Working with an attorney to outline important legal documents that provide your loved ones with directives for your care and distribution of assets helps ease the burden on them at a difficult time.
Medical Power of Attorney
A medical power of attorney grants an individual (frequently, this is a spouse) authority to make health care decisions on your behalf when you aren’t able to do so yourself, such as when you are incapacitated. The person you grant this power to is called your proxy or health care agent. They should be someone you trust to make difficult decisions about your care that align with your wishes.
HIPAA Authorizations
A HIPAA Authorization form grants permission for an appointed person or party to disclose otherwise confidential information about your health to another party. If you are seriously ill, you may want to complete a HIPAA authorization that grants your doctor the right to share private information about your health with your attorney, a family member, or another health care provider.
Disposition of Remains
One of the aspects to include in your will is directions for how your loved ones should handle your remains. You can include instructions about whether you want a burial or cremation, if you’d like your ashes scattered somewhere specific or where you’d like to be buried.
Organ and Tissue Donation
Other important aspects include organ donor designation and donating your tissue for scientific research. If you feel strongly about having your organs and tissue benefit others after your death, ensure you talk to your attorney about creating a living will.
Your living will must include this information so doctors can keep you on life support until a transplant surgeon is ready to remove the organ and tissue you’ve agreed to donate.
Start Planning with Anzen Legal Group
Having your end-of-life care plan in place ensures your healthcare decisions are honored and protects your loved ones from having to guess what difficult choices to make on your behalf. Whether you want to draft the legal documents for your estate plan or open discussions for end-of-life planning, get in touch with Anzen Legal Group.
