An important part of estate planning in Wheat Ridge and Jefferson County is having an Advanced Health Care Directive in place. This document gives specific instructions on how to handle your medical care, should you no longer be able to make those decisions. It will give both the medical community and your family and friends guidance on how and what critical decisions should be made regarding your health. They are important because they allow you to have a voice, even if you cannot use it at the time. Advanced Health Care Directives also help keep any confusion away, as there will be no questions when everything is laid out in black and white. Through this legal document you can also designate an agent or agents to work with your medical professionals to ensure that your wishes are honored.
Advanced Health Care Directive in Wheat Ridge | Where to Keep Your Advanced Health Care Directive
While the most important step of this process is completing your Advanced Health Care Directive, making sure it is available to those who need to access it is an important step as well. Having multiple copies with certain people and in certain locations will ensure that your wishes are followed as you have laid out. Here are some places you should keep a copy of your Advanced Medical Care Directive to make sure it is easily accessible:
- Keep the original in a safe, but easily located place in your home. You do not want all your important documents to be stored somewhere that no one but you have access to (like a safety deposit box), as this will likely allow medical staff to make decisions on your behalf until the documents are accessible.
- Make sure your agent has a copy of your Durable Power of Attorney and Advanced Health Care Directive and that they know where to find the originals.
- Take a copy to your health care provider and ask that it be included with your medical records. This could include a hospital or nursing home if you are entering into a short or long term care facility.
- You may want to keep a card in your wallet with ways to contact your agent and directions on locating your Advanced Health Care Directive.
If you are ready to move forward with creating your Advanced Health Care Directive, contact the best estate planning attorneys from the Pearman Law Firm at 303-991-7600 for your initial phone consultation.
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