Basic Overview Of Living Wills - Part 3

 

Advance health care directives are legal documents that dictate how you want to receive medical care in the event you become incapacitated. A living will is a type of advance directive that dictates your end-of-life care.

 

This 3 part series of articles will provide a basic overview of a Living Wills and a Heath Care Power of Attorneys including:

 

• Clarifying Mixed Terminology
• The Benefits of Creating a Living Will
• What Types of Procedures Are Covered
• Should you have a health care power of attorney

 

Part 1 addressed Clarifying Mixed Terminology and The Benefits of Creating a Living Will. Part 2 addressed What Types of Procedures Are Covered. Part 3 addresses Should you have a health care power of attorney.

 

Should you have a health care power of attorney

 

A health care power of attorney is a legal document that gives another individual authority to make healthcare decisions on your behalf. As long as you choose that individual carefully, a health care power of attorney can be a useful supplement to your living will.

 

Where living wills set out specific permissions and restrictions related to your end-of-life care, a health care power of attorney is more open-ended. The authority granted by a health care power of attorney is normally not limited to end-of-life scenarios. Instead, it simply allows someone to make general medical decisions when you cannot due to incapacity.

 

You can certainly limit the scope of authority created by a health care power of attorney. Among other things, you can make clear that any decisions made under the health care power of attorney should not conflict with instructions in your living will. Further, a health care power of attorney can also give someone authority to enforce the care preferences described in your living will.

 

The legal terminology relating to a health care power of attorney varies from state to state. A health care power of attorney is sometimes known as a "health care proxy," "appointment of a health care agent," "designation of a health care surrogate," or "durable power of attorney for health care." The person empowered by a health care power of attorney to act on your behalf is variously known as a "proxy," "agent," "surrogate," or "attorney-in-fact."

 

Call your Amarillo Estate Planning Attorney Today and Get Help With Your Living Will and Health Care Power Of Attorney

 

The thought of losing control of our bodies or the ability to make our own decisions can be unsettling, but incapacitation need not leave you completely powerless over your own health care. By planning in advance, living wills ensure that treatment decisions in a worst-case scenario are in fact your own decisions. Living wills and other advance care directives are often included as part of your estate plan. If you are planning your estate or updating your will, the best thing to do is consult with a local Amarillo Texas estate planning attorney to make sure you are following the laws and regulations of your respective state. Many people have similar questions and go through the same line of questioning when deciding how to make or update their estate plan. It can be and often is critical that you get legal help understanding the basics of this process. The best way to get this understanding is to contact an experienced Amarillo Estate Planning attorney near you. Stop and take a breath and call an Amarillo Estate Planning Attorney who has had decades of experience.  Pick up the phone and call Amarillo Estate Planning Attorney Bill Cornett.  Bill is your choice as an experienced estate attorney in Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle.  Don’t waste another minute.  Call him today.

 

Your most important action may end up being the phone call that you make to your Amarillo estate planning attorney lawyer.  In the Texas Panhandle that call should be to Amarillo attorney Bill Cornett.  Whether you need assistance with a will, administration of an estate or a contested probate, contact the Law Office of Bill Cornett. Be smart…remember these phone numbers (806) 374-9498 or (800) 658-6618.

 

Put Cornett Law Firm’s 50+ years of experience to work for you

 

Bill Cornett, Amarillo Attorney, with Cornett Law Firm, offers affordable, qualified services as an experienced personal injury lawyer and probate attorney. Bill also has experience in estate planning and agriculture law. Sit down with Bill at his office located at 612 S. Van Buren St. in Amarillo TX by calling (806) 374-9498 or (800) 658-6618 TODAY to schedule a free consultation.