When you are making an estate plan, it is important to think about your medical future. Right now, you are the only one who can make medical decisions on your own behalf. But there could come a time in the future when you are incapacitated due to injury or illness, and you still want to make sure that the correct choices are made.
One way to do this is by drafting a living will and making those choices today. You get to leave a list of instructions that will then have to be followed. If you do not want to be kept on life support, you could put those instructions in your living will. You may also want to consider other similar documentation, like a do-not-resuscitate order, depending on your specific wishes.
Deciding who can make your medical decisions
Sometimes, however, it feels daunting to make future medical decisions without already having all of the applicable information. You may not know if you will want to be kept on life support or resuscitated, and it all depends on what your condition looks like and what your prognosis is at the time.
A power of attorney, then, works a bit differently. You use it to select an individual to act as your medical agent. Once you have been declared incapacitated, this agent is in charge of your medical choices. They can work closely with your doctors to decide what would be in your best interests at that time, rather than following a set list of instructions.
Both of these documents can be helpful, and everyone’s situation is unique. Just be sure you understand exactly what options you have and what steps to take while you address your medical future in your estate plan.