When working on your estate plan, most of your time and energy goes into creating documents that will come into play after your death. But not every document works this way. Living wills, for example, go into effect while you are still alive.
So do advance directives, which could potentially have a huge impact on your overall health and wellness.
The use of advance directives
The National Institute on Aging discusses some of the tools used to aid in a person’s healthcare. Advance directives serve as an often-overlooked but crucial component of healthcare. As a directive, it allows you to dictate what sort of medical treatment you want in the event that you cannot voice your opinion yourself anymore.
For example, say you do not want to stay on life support in the event that you suffer from catastrophic brain damage with a doctor declaring you vegetative. If you are in such a state, you obviously cannot pass on this message yourself.
But if you wrote it in an advance directive ahead of time, then your loved ones can see what you wrote and simply follow your instructions instead of having to take the burden of making a decision upon themselves.
Who does it benefit?
In short, it benefits you and your loved ones at the same time. It ensures that you can rest well knowing your wishes will come to fruition no matter what. At the same time, it gives your family something solid to work with, so they are not left guessing and wondering if they made the right choice.
Advance directives can cover a huge range of potential situations, medical care and more. Consider speaking to legal help about what it can do for you.