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It’s critical to have legal documents in place that speak to your wishes when you no longer can speak for yourself.

Power of attorney for health care (sometimes referred to as an advanced health care directive)

• Allows you to name an agent to make health care decisions on your behalf.
• Most often, an agent’s powers will take effect if you become incapacitated and can no longer make decisions for yourself
  
• In some states, a power of attorney for health care will include an HIPAA (health insurance portability and accountability act) release, a living will and instructions on resuscitation:
  
  • A HIPAA release allows an agent access to your medical records
    
  • A living will provides an agent with instructions regarding life-sustaining measures (for example, whether mechanical ventilation or a feeding tube is acceptable if a physician deems you to be in a persistent vegetative state)
    
  • Do not resuscitate orders provide an agent with instructions as to your wishes on resuscitation
    
  • You may also want to consider having documentation providing instructions regarding burial wishes and organ donation
    

Organize and communicate

• You’ll want to organize all of your important information while you are able to do so and let your loved ones know the location of these items.
  
• Just as important, communicating your wishes to your loved ones while you are of sound mind can ease the emotional burden for your agent if you are incapacitated.