Are You Prepared?April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day
Unfortunately, we all know that life is unpredictable, and we have no idea what the future hold for you or your family. However, the worst thing you can do is not to be prepared for the worst. Therefore, preparing for the future without anxiety about the unknown is essential. So, National Healthcare Decision Day is vital to raise awareness about preparing for the future and making the right healthcare decisions for ourselves and our families. Our Georgia estate planning attorneys understand the importance of making good healthcare decisions, and we are here to help you prepare and guide you in the right direction. Having a well-thought-out estate plan in place and creating an advance directive is essential.
National Healthcare Decision Day: Understanding Why You Want to Make Healthcare Decisions
The purpose of an estate plan and an advance directive is to protect your assets and wishes and have a document that spells out your wishes for the period in which you cannot make your own personal, financial, and health decisions. When the person is incapacitated to make decisions of their own, their families and loved ones often struggle to make the right healthcare decisions for them. Therefore, the best thing we can do for ourselves and our loved ones is a plan and prepare for the future.
Being in charge of your healthcare decisions is beneficial in several ways:
It brings us a sense of peace and gives direction to our loved ones and caregivers.
The health care decisions expressed by an individual and written down officially will serve as the instruction for future events and take off the onus of decision-making from the family and loved ones.
They are still determining what you might have wanted, and you can rest assured that they have fulfilled your desires by following the instructions that you have provided through the complete advanced Directive.
What is an Advance Directive?
You may have heard of a living will. A living will is a legal document detailing how you prefer to receive medical treatment when you can no longer decide for yourself. A living will also is called an Advance Directive. The advance directive describes under what conditions your family and the healthcare team to begin prolonging your life - and when you want them to stop. It can include treatments such as:
Breathing machines
Dialysis
Tube feeding
Pain or nauseous treatment
Do not resuscitate (DNR)
Organ and tissue donation after you have passed
National healthcare decisions day is a great initiative that urges all of us to plan ahead of a healthcare emergency and to have a conversation with our family to discuss our wishes. The focus is mainly on advanced care planning by enabling people to be proactive in expressing their wishes and respecting and implementing those decisions in case of a future incident.
According to recent statistics, Project National Survey conducted in 2018, it is estimated that only 32% of Americans have discussed their end-of-life care wishes, even when 92% agree that it is an essential factor to discuss with their families and loved ones. So, you should not only make decisions regarding your healthcare decisions but also plan the time to sit down with your family and discuss your living will or advance Directive. Therefore, national Healthcare Decision Day is an excellent time to start.
Do You Need an Advance Directive?
Giving someone authority to act on your behalf in medical and legal matters is serious. Having a skilled power of attorney lawyer who can help you create legal documents that protect your interests while giving your agent the authority to get the job done would be best. With 20 years of experience in advance care planning, contact your trusted legal partner, Jammie Taire, and the team at SmithTaire Legal. Call us today to draft your Advance Directive.
Please schedule an appointment with us today at 678-253-8133 to discuss your situation.