Legal Planning

As soon as a diagnosis is made, it may be useful to consider legal planning early, especially while your loved one can still discuss their wishes for continued care and treatment of their illness.

These are called advanced directives, or documents that authorize another person to carry out their health care and financial decisions for them.  It also outlines their desires for treatment or end-of-life wishes.

Examples include:

• Durable power of attorney for health care — appoints a trusted person to make all their decisions about their health care and becomes a part of the person’s medical record

• Living will — outlines their preferences on for receiving medical treatment and artificial life support

• Will — appoints the person to manage their financial assets and beneficiaries