Elder Law and Estate Planning Lawyer
A living will or health care proxy is an important part of elder planning. A variety of health risks and medical conditions can impair a person's ability to make decisions. Loss of memory, ranging from mild memory loss to severe memory loss that may result from Alzheimer’s disease, is an unfortunate, but very real possibility that should be anticipated before problems arise.
In addition, cancer, other debilitating diseases and catastrophic accidents can cause brain damage, physical fatigue, mental fatigue and other adverse symptoms that make daily life tasks difficult or impossible to perform. Through the use of durable powers of attorney, living wills, healthcare proxies and other elder law planning measures, people can protect themselves and their family when critical financial and medical decisions must be made.
How Can a Living Will or Healthcare Proxy Help Me?
If you should become severely ill and unable to make critical health care decisions, your family may be forced to make these difficult decisions on their own. A living will can clearly define your wishes regarding important healthcare decisions, including methods of treatment you wish to receive and treatment options you wish to forego (for example, feeding, water or healthcare equipment that may extend your life if you are in a coma and have suffered irreversible brain damage). A healthcare proxy tells medical professionals whom to listen to and provides a clear direction of authority at vital time. Healthcare proxies allows for decisions about your care to be made in the future when problem arise that may not have been foreseen, or to take into account emerging improvements in medical care.
As a law firm committed to protecting your wishes, we work closely with clients to develop living wills and healthcare proxies that protect their rights and reflect their values.
Contact Us
Francello & Van Benschoten is located in Saugerties, New York. We represent clients throughout the Mid Hudson Valley. To contact a lawyer about your elder law, estate planning or probate needs, call 845-247-5356, or contact us by e-mail.
