Thoughts of what might happen if you suffer a major health event or accident and are unconscious or incapacitated are difficult to consider. If something happens and you are unable to make decisions for yourself, who will make health decisions for you? If you do not know the answers to these questions, your estate plan is incomplete. The experienced Palm Beach estate planning attorneys at Kitroser, Lewis & Mighdoll provide the compassionate guidance you need to establish effective healthcare directives.
Living wills and health care surrogate designations are similar documents. A living will is a written statement of the kind of medical care you wish to receive in the event you become medically unable to make decisions for yourself. Drafting this document ahead of time allows you to record your wishes while you are of sound mind and body. Instructions can range from the type of treatment you authorize and whether you wish to receive life saving measures. A healthcare surrogate designation can include similar instructions and designates initial and successor healthcare surrogates who can make decisions for you. However, the healthcare surrogate is limited in their decision making by the terms of the relevant living will and surrogate designation. Therefore, many people use both forms. You can also use these forms to create a threshold for when you are incapacitated, thus causing the forms to take effect. How you wish to be treated in the event of a life-threatening situation is a personal and important matter. Trust our attorneys to help you make your wishes known.
A Power of Attorney is a legal document which grants authority from a principal to an agent. These documents can grant very broad powers, or limit authority to small tasks. Powers of Attorney are not always used in a health crisis. Rather, a Power of Attorney may be used to allow an agent to sign a document or purchase some asset on behalf of a principal. In a health crisis, your health is not the only thing that needs attention. You likely have many personal and professional responsibilities. You have bank accounts, vehicles, property, and any number of obligations. Who will oversee these critical aspects of your life if you are medically incapacitated? In this situation, a carefully drafted Power of Attorney can ensure that a responsible individual(s) oversees these assets and responsibilities until your condition changes.
The estate planning attorneys at Kitroser, Lewis & Mighdoll will make sure your loved ones understand your wishes and protect your interests if you should have a health crisis. Trust our more than 32 years of experience, contact us today to schedule a free consultation at 561-721-0600 or contact us online.
The North Palm Beach Estate Planning Lawyers of Kitroser, Lewis & Mighdoll, welcome clients from the cities of West Palm Beach, Stuart, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach, Jupiter, Tequesta, Juno Beach, Singer Island, Lake Park, Hobe Sound, Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Lake Worth, as well as all of Palm Beach County, Martin County and South Florida.
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