If you are worried that a disease like dementia will eventually leave you unable to make important decisions for yourself and your estate, you should make some plans now. Our attorneys can help you prepare for just about anything, including medical incapacitation. You should schedule an appointment with a Woodland Hills advance healthcare directive attorney today to learn more about how our estate planning lawyers can be of assistance.
Who Makes Financial and Medical Decisions If I Have Dementia?
If you are incapacitated by dementia or another disease, there are one or two people who will be able to make the major decisions before you. You assign them these responsibilities by giving them power of attorney.
The financial power of attorney gives someone the right to make financial decisions for you. You can give someone this power right away or create what’s known as a “springing” power of attorney clause that would ensure that this person only gets the power to make decisions for you once you are incapacitated by dementia or another disease.
The healthcare power of attorney makes someone your medical proxy, allowing them to make medical decisions for you when you are unable to voice your own concerns. They get access to your medical records and get the final say on what treatments you receive.
Can I Make My Wishes Known Before I’m Diagnosed With Dementia?
You should establish a living will when you are choosing who to give power of attorney to. A living will allows you to tell your healthcare proxy what your wishes are. Do you want to be kept alive by all means necessary, including through the use of ventilators and feeding tubes? Do you want to be resuscitated? These are matters that can be addressed through your healthcare directives.
How Else Can I Prepare Myself?
You should also write a will that establishes who gets what assets after you have passed away. It’s smart to take care of this now before any neurodegenerative disease begins to affect you. If you have dementia and create or edit a will, it’s likely that a family member could challenge it and create discord.
You should also check the beneficiaries on bank accounts and life insurance policies. Make sure that these funds are transferring to the right people upon your death.
Do I Need an Estate Planning Attorney?
Estate planning can be more difficult than you would expect, even if you don’t consider yourself particularly rich or someone with a lot of assets to account for. An experienced lawyer from our firm can help you take advantage of estate planning tools like trusts and they can ensure that all of your documents, like your will, are legally binding.
Schedule Your Consultation
When you are ready for the estate planning process, contact the Law Offices of Yacoba Ann Feldman. We can help you plan for just about anything and ensure that your assets go to the right people when you have passed on.
