The Importance of a Living Will and Power of Attorney

What is the importance of having a living will and power of attorney? How can this help you in the future?  

First things first, we need to clarify what a living will and a power of attorney do.  So, essentially a living will is a written statement that spells out the type of care you want and don’t want if you were to become incapacitated. A living will is strictly a place to explain your health care preferences. A living will has no relation to the conventional will or living trust used to leave the property at death. You can use your living will to say as much or as little information that you wish about the kinds of health care you chose to receive. Secondly, a power of attorney or also known as (POA) is essentially a person that you appoint to be your health care agent. This could be your son, daughter, spouse, or any trusted person close to you. These people are known as “agents.”

Something to note is that your power of attorney must be legally an adult 18 years of age. The person must be able to understand what the document means, what it contains, and how it works. This person will make any necessary health care decisions for you that you wish to receive as well as grant permission to make financial decisions you can’t make yourself. In some states, the living will and power of attorney are combined into a single form also known as an advance directive.

What are some decisions that are covered in a living will and what do they mean?

Resuscitation

This covers whether or not the individuals would like to receive CPR or other methods of resuscitation if your heart stops. This is also commonly known as DNR or do not resuscitate.

Comfort and Pain Medication

This will depend upon how much medication you want or if you would like to be transferred to your home to keep you comfortable until the time of passing. 

Breathing and Feeding Machines

Deciding on what feels right and how long you would like to continue with the machines keeping you alive and stable is another factor to consider.

Lastly, how can having a living will and power of attorney help you in the future?

It is highly suggested that you have a living will and power of attorney set up as soon as possible because you never know when something will happen to you. It is helpful to put this in place now because there could be delays, complications, emotional and mental distress on you and your loved ones, and high costs involved if you wait. All of these stressors can be avoided if you already have a living will and power of attorney set up before disaster strikes. 

We hope we were able to share the importance of why you need a living will and power of attorney. Always remember that life’s a gift and sometimes the unexplainable happens before we are ready. If you or a close family member needs assisted living, long-term living, or rehabilitation services be sure to give us a call at (937) 319-8924.