Do they know? Do the people who matter the most to you know what matters the most to you when it comes to your health care? It’s a conversation worth having despite the unease we often feel talking about disability and end of life decisions. We’re tempted to “think about it tomorrow.” But tomorrows have an annoying way of rapidly becoming yesterdays. Let National Healthcare Decisions Day on April 16 inspire you to talk about your wishes for care through the end of life. That way your wishes can be understood and respected by your loved ones and health care team. A medical crisis is no time for your family to debate about your preferences. Don’t make them guess. Tell them.
Once you’ve discussed your health care wishes and decided who will act for you if you can’t speak for yourself, record those decisions with legal documents. Health Care Powers of Attorney and Advanced Directives for Health Care empower your representative to act on your behalf.
At Cain, Cain & Janik healthcare documents are an essential part of our clients’ estate planning. We not only counsel clients as they establish their directives, but we encourage them to regularly review their documents. Life changes may necessitate changes in your choices. And to provide easy access to your healthcare documents, we enroll our clients in the first year of membership with DocuBank. DocuBank provides immediate access to critical documents with the convenience of a wallet card.
As the saying goes, “It always seems too soon, until it’s too late.” Don’t wait for tomorrow. Start your healthcare decision conversation today.