Death, dying, illness, accidents. They’re subjects we’d all rather avoid. No one even wants to think about it, much less talk or plan for it.
But, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, death is a part of life. And with the complexity of medical technology, planning for our health care and making decisions about life-saving medical treatment is necessary too.
April 16th is National Health Care Decisions Day, the perfect time to start a conversation with your loved ones about your advanced health care planning. Do your family members or close friends have a living will – a document that specifies what treatments or interventions you would or would not want in case you were left unable to communicate your wishes? Do you?
If you haven’t had this conversation or even thought about it much yourself, now is the time to start. It’s easy to put off the conversation until later, but as the experts say, “It’s better to prepare 10 years too early than one day too late.”
Where do you begin? Begin The Conversation is a great resource for learning about advanced health care planning. They offer a step-by-step workbook to help you work through the process of advanced heath care planning and creating a Living Will.
An estate planning attorney can also be a great guide in conversations about health care decisions. Experienced estate planning attorneys are knowledgeable and helpful and also know the laws and regulations in your state.
“When it comes to health care decisions, it’s better to prepare 10 years too early than one day too late.”
If you don’t have an estate planning attorney, locate one through Texas Legal’s attorney finder. If you’re already a Texas Legal member, your estate planning costs, including a Living Will and healthcare power of attorney, are 100 percent covered through your plan.
If you’re not a Texas Legal member, consider joining so you can save money while making this important step to protect yourself and your family. Our plans cost between $10 and $30 a month and will save you hundreds while giving you access to a qualified, professional attorney so you can be confident in the process and the outcome of planning for your future.