Elder law attorneys can help people prepare for various end-of-life scenarios by assisting them in planning advance directives, living wills and other documents. Estate planning lawyers offer important questions you should ask yourself when preparing for your final days.
No one wants to think about being incapacitated before they die. Most of us hope that we'll never have to be a financial, emotional or physical burden to our loved ones, but the reality is that many people live longer than anticipated and may end up being a monetary and emotional weight on our children or spouses. Fortunately, there are many elder law specialists who can help you prepare various documents, including advance directives and living wills, that address these issues. Avoiding making end of life plans is a mistake that can have a profound effect on our own lives as well as the lives of our descendants.
Many Estate Planning Lawyers Are Also Elder Law Specialists
By combining two distinctive legal specialties under one roof, some firms offer an advantage when preparing your estate. They have insight into various elder law issues surrounding end of life decisions and can guide you in the right direction. They can suggest valuable resources for finding out more about medical, financial and emotional guidance and support from government agencies, local hospitals and health care providers and financial institutions.
Estate Planning Lawyers Suggest Vital Questions You Need To Ask Yourself
There are several questions everyone should ask themselves when preparing a living will, advance medical directive or other legal documents that have a direct impact on how a medical emergency should be handled by healthcare professionals. Elder law attorneys know that fewer than 70% of families actually make the correct choice when they are forced to guess at what their loved ones want done. Physicians are even more apt to make a judgment call that isn't in line with their patients' final wishes or religious beliefs.
Before you begin to prepare an advance directive or living will with your estate planning lawyers, carefully consider some important questions:
Do you want doctors to take extreme lifesaving measures if you're unable to make the decision for yourself?
What do you consider extraordinary lifesaving techniques? Do you want a feeding tube if you can't feed yourself? Do you consider a respirator an extraordinary lifesaving device?
What do you consider a good "quality of life?" Determine the most basic requirements your health must meet in order to give you an acceptable quality of life.
Are there any medical or end-of-life procedures such as CPR, an organ transplant or blood transfusions that go against your spiritual beliefs? If so, be sure these are included in your advance directive and living will. It is just as important to clearly convey what you don't want as what you do want.
An elder law specialist can help you ask yourself the right questions and outline legal documents that address all of these issues so that your children or loved ones don't have to second guess your wishes or suffer needless guilt after they make a decision regarding your care. It can also cut down on the chances that your final wishes will have to be hashed out by a litigation attorney.
Elder Law Affects Your Family As Well As You
Because elder law specialists and estate planning lawyers work closely with a variety of agencies that provide assistance or expert advice for the elderly, they understand the complexities of preparing an advance directive or living will that can be respected and carried out according to your final wishes. If you try to prepare a living will or advance medical directive on your own, you could neglect to include important information that your descendants should have in order to respect your wishes. Someone may have to hire a litigation attorney to sort things out if not everyone agrees on how to proceed. You don't want your legacy to be confusion or uncertainty; talk to an elder law attorney or estate planning lawyers today.
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