Although you may be healthy today, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll always feel your best. There may come a point in the future when you require medical care. Furthermore, it’s not out of the question that you could become incapacitated temporarily or permanently.
If you’re unable to make medical decisions on your own, either because of a mental or physical incapacity, it’s important to know that someone you trust will step in and make all the right decisions on your behalf.
This is where a health care power of attorney comes into play. It allows you to give a trusted person, such as a spouse or adult child, the ability to make medical and end-of-life decisions on your behalf.
Name the right agent
When creating a health care power of attorney, one of the most important decisions you have to make involves the naming of the agent. This person may have to make difficult decisions on your behalf, so you want to choose a person you can trust.
Don’t name a person as the agent of your health care power of attorney until you first discuss it with them. You must make sure they’re comfortable with the idea before making a final decision.
There’s no way of knowing if you’ll become incapacitated in the future, but it’s important to plan for anything and everything that could go wrong in your life.
When you combine your personal preferences with knowledge of estate planning laws, it’s easier to create a health care power of attorney that will give you the peace of mind you deserve.
