ADVANCE HEALTHCARE DIRECTIVE

SAN DIEGO ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEY

Many people spend time and money planning for the future of their financial affairs. While those matters are extremely important, estate planning law offers options to care for one’s own personal health and future as well. With California’s healthcare directives and documents, you designate a person or persons to make medical decisions on your behalf in the event you become incapacitated. Advance healthcare directives are highly recommended for anyone who has specific wishes regarding the type of medical care they want or don’t want.

Your advance healthcare directive goes into effect when, and only after your doctor determines, based off of medical evidence, that you lack the ability (or capacity) to make your own decisions. This is usually manifested by an inability to understand and process the nature or consequences of the choices available to you and/or to communicate your own wishes for care. At that point, the individual you selected to step in and make the choices for you will be given management over your medical affairs.

In California, there are two important elements to setting up your advance healthcare directives. These two documents, when established with the help of a knowledgeable estate planning attorney, will be your comprehensive advance health care directive:

• Durable Power of Attorney: This document, not to be confused with Financial Power of Attorney, names the individual you trust and wish to make decisions concerning your healthcare in the event that you become incapacitated.
• Living Will: Again, the name resembles the title of another estate planning document but living wills are completely different in nature to someone’s last will and testament. A living will outlines the type of medical treatment you prefer to receive or not receive in certain circumstances. This may include life-prolonging care, sustenance on life support, pain relief, and “Do Not Resuscitate” (DNR) orders.

At Mellman & Mellman LLP, we make advance healthcare directives an integral part of our comprehensive estate planning services because we believe that our clients’ futures are just as important, if not more so, than the future of their financial assets. Learn more about the benefits of setting up advance healthcare directives by talking to an attorney today.

Contact Contact Mellman & Mellman, LLP and schedule a free initial consultation to discuss your estate planning options. We can also be reached via telephone at 619-304-0600 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and during the weekends from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.