When creating an estate plan, it is important to look far into the future. Of course, the biggest purpose of this period of planning serves to give people a way to organize their assets and other belongings so as to better pass these things on to their loved ones after their death.
But when planning for the future, it is important to look into advance directives as well. This is one way that a person can help themselves and their family out regarding their health and healthcare.
The purpose of advance directives
The National Institute on Aging discusses advance directives. In general, a person can use an advance directive to tell their loved ones what they want to do in a medical situation in the event that they cannot communicate these wishes on their own.
Hurdles that may get in the way of communicating can include things like the individual getting into a crash and suffering from brain damage that renders them incapable of speech. It can include falling into a coma after a severe injury. It can also include mental degradation occurring as a result of illness or neurological disease.
How it benefits multiple parties
With an advance directive, the individual can let their loved ones know exactly what they want done in any medical situation. They can say what situations they wish to stay on life support, and which situations they would rather the life support get removed.
Not only does this keep the power of decision-making in the individual’s hands, but it also removes the burden of deciding from the loved ones involved. In short, it is a beneficial system for everyone.
