After reading the past two posts on wills, one reader contacted me. She and her sister have been caring for their father for several years. Following Hurricane Rita, which passed through their hometown, they could no longer do it all themselves.
Their father was placed in a nursing home. The older sister now visits several hours daily supervising his care. She also spends hours every week taking care of his affairs.
She spoke of their difficulties sorting out various legalities with nursing home and government officials. These next few articles will deal with those questions that they ran into.
You see, wills, provide direction for the distribution of your possessions. Further, they can detail how businesses are passed and the family is cared for. But, wills do not cover every eventuality.
Suppose you are incapacitated, not deceased. Right now, while you are clear-minded, you probably have preferences about the kind of medical treatment you receive. How can you preserve your rights to having those preferences respected when you are unable to speak for yourself?
Three documents may help you here. One is a living will. The second is guardianship. The third is a medical power of attorney. A fourth document you may come cross is a durable power of attorney.
The best time to learn about these is when you or a loved one doesn't need them. Decisions made when you are sick or sad or, even, angry may not be the best ones. Thinking the options through, getting legal advice and preparing the necessary papers now, while you don't need them gives you an opportunity to reconsider and make changes.
Over the next few article posts, I'll go through what I've learned about these four documents and share them with you. As with a will, you would be wise to consult an attorney before signing off to anything.
A living will along with the planning required, once done, can really provide you and your loved ones (like the two sisters I just mentioned) with peace of mind. Armed with these documents, enacted when needed, others can take care of you and your business the way you want it done.
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