Seniors on the move

Do I Need a Health Care Proxy?

By

If you have found yourself asking this question, the answer is an emphatic yes. Health Care Proxies are one of the most important documents in your estate plan. So what is it, and why is it so important?

A Health Care Proxy is a document that allows someone to make medical decisions for you if you are incapacitated. This situation could arise if you are in surgery and there are complications, if you are in a motor vehicle accident, or if your mental state is such that you cannot make medical decisions for yourself. A doctor’s job is to treat you. If you find yourself in any of these situations without a Health Care Proxy, your doctors may be required to take specific medical actions or provide you with a treatment that you would not have wanted.

Organizers expect dozens of colonial and craft vendors augmenting the 25 fife and drum corps from across New England and New York. The fair opens at 10:00 a.m.

A Grand Parade of fifes and drums will begin promptly at noon to be followed by performances. Admission is $3 cash for the general public at the gate.

Furthermore, if you become incapacitated and you do not have a Health Care Proxy in place, your family may need to petition the court for a guardianship over you. In a guardianship, the court appoints someone to have the legal right to make your medical decisions for you. A guardianship can be costly, time consuming, and extremely stressful during an otherwise emotionally taxing event.

If you have a Health Care Proxy naming a trusted family member or friend as your agent, have a conversation with that person to discuss what you would want done in different medical scenarios. A Health Care Proxy allows you to rest easy knowing that whatever the situation, someone who loves you will be looking out for your best wishes.