We all make plans for the future. If you have ever engaged in or thought about estate planning, then you may think that it involves deciding how assets will be protected and distributed upon your death. While you’re not incorrect in that form of thinking, estate planning can encompass a broader area. One major issue that should not be neglected in an estate plan is your healthcare. By creating certain health directives, you can ensure that your wishes regarding your medical care will be abided by when you are unable to make decisions on your own.
One way to do this is to designate a health care proxy. A health care proxy is an individual you name who will make medical decisions for you in the event that you are incapacitated. Choosing your health care proxy should be done with extreme care, as this individual may make life or death decisions in a time of emergency. If you have any doubts, such as how one’s personal views will conflict with your personal wishes, then you should consider choosing someone else. Also, you may want to think about naming successive health proxies in the event that your first choice winds up unavailable during your time of need.
When you draft health directives, you need to make sure you are very clear as to your wishes. Failing to do so could result in conflict with regard to who will make important health care decisions for you, as well as what those decisions will be. Physicians often turn to these documents to ensure that they are acting in accordance with the law and your wishes, so your documents must leave no room for interpretation.
This is why many Illinois and Indiana residents turn to dedicated legal professionals for the drafting of these important documents. An experienced attorney will know the common pitfalls to avoid and how to make sure your future is fully protected in accordance with your wishes. If you want to learn more about health directives and how they can prove beneficial, consider speaking with an attorney of your choosing.