Estate planning isn’t just about what happens when you die. It is also about what happens when life takes unexpected turns. A seizure, a boating accident or a machinery malfunction at work could leave you unconscious or otherwise unable to communicate.
The doctors providing your care and your loved ones responding to this kind of emergency may not know what your medical preferences actually are. If you have a strong living will with an advance directive, then your loved ones and care providers will know what your wishes are and have the authority to follow through with them.
What do you address in a California advance health care directive?
An advanced health care directive is often the most important document in the living will. It involves you deciding now what’s your medical preferences are in the future. You can, of course, update those preferences as your life changes.
Your feelings on life support may change if you have cancer, for example. Your worries about pain management and addiction may decline as you get older or after a diagnosis of a terminal disease. In your advance directive, you will talk about life support, diagnostic testing, palliative care and organ donation. You may also empower specific people to make medical choices on your behalf and specify certain care providers you would prefer to manage your treatment if possible.
Creating an advance directive as part of your California estate plan that only protects you by making your wishes known but also protects your loved ones from not knowing what to do after an unexpected emergency.
