If you're in the process of estate planning, you'll need to pick someone to have the power of attorney for you regarding health care. Here are some things that you should know about this crucial part of your estate plan.

What Is The Benefit Of Listing A Power of Attorney For Health Care?

The main reason that you want to grant somebody the important power of your health care power of attorney is that you may someday need somebody to make a decision when you are unable to. You may be in the hospital and incapacitated, and you will need someone to carry out your wishes that you trust. You likely have preferences about how you want support at the end of your life, and what your end-of-life care decisions are. 

For example, if you are not going to be able to recover and are on life support, will you want to be kept on life support indefinitely? You may need someone to make that decision for you according to your wishes. If you leave this decision to loved ones that do not know your preferences, they may make a decision that goes against your wishes. 

Do You Need To Give Preferences For Health Care?

It's possible that you want to give someone the power of attorney for health care, but don't want to give them specific instructions. For example, you may want to give your spouse the power to make a decision about your specific situation. It is possible to give someone the health care power of attorney and still leave things up to that person to decide. This means that you are trusting that person to have good judgment and make a decision based on what you both would want to happen. 

Can You Include Organ Donation In Your Decisions? 

While many people decide to be an organ donor when registering for a driver's license, you can also make these decisions in your estate plan regarding organ donation. This will allow the person that has the power of attorney over health care to carry out your wishes regarding organ donation, which could include donating your body to a specific organization. All this can be included in your living will as direction for the person that has power of attorney to carry out.

Reach out to an estate planning law firm for more information about the power of attorney.  

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