Power of Attorney for Health Care
While a living will is easily obtainable, many practitioners do not provide their clients with a power of attorney for health care. This is a disservice. It is one thing not to be put on the machine. It is quite another to have a spokesperson who can interface with physicians, review your records and make decisions on your behalf with legal authority to do so. Often the living will will be ignored if your agent, under the power of attorney, does not insist on its application.
Durable Power of Attorney
A durable power of attorney for finances, or financial power of attorney, is a simple, inexpensive, and reliable way
to arrange for someone to manage your finances if you become unable to do so yourself.
If you become incapacitated and you haven't prepared a durable power of attorney, a court proceeding is probably inescapable.
Your spouse, closest relatives, or companion will have to ask a court for authority over at least some of your financial affairs.
Set up an agent or attorney in fact to take care of financial and banking needs
while you are incapcitated or unable to do it yourself.
Understand powers of attorney for health care and finances and why you need to prepare both
What if an accident, illness -- or simply the effects of aging -- left you unable to tell
your doctors what kind of medical treatment you want, or made it impossible to write
checks to pay your monthly bills? No one likes to consider such grim possibilities,
but the truth is that almost every family will eventually face this kind of difficulty.
While medical and financial powers of attorney can't prevent accidents or keep you young,
they can certainly make life easier for you and your family if times get tough.
Complete Estate Planning - Living Trusts - Living Wills - Power of Attorney
