Raising a child is a big resposibility. Now that your child has graduated from college and becoming an adult, you need to teach them important lessons. You can teach them about finances and planning for the future. But, you also need to make sure they’re protected with a health care directive. It’s essential that your adult child, who is no longer your dependent, has a plan in place when a serious illness or injury occurs.
A health care directive is a legal document that tells your family and doctors your medical wishes if you cannot do so. It specifies how you want medical decisions made and your end-of-life plans. This means that your loved ones do not have to make hard decisions on your behalf without knowing your wishes and preferences.
An estate plan should include a health care directive and a medical Power of Attorney. The POA allows you to name an individual to make decisions based on the directive. It is another legal document that the hospital accepts and allows someone to act on your behalf.
Once your child is an adult, you cannot make legal decisions for them. But if they have a health care directive and name you as the POA, you can work with the hospital to make the best decisions possible.
An estate plan includes more than a will. There are important documents that your child must have. Working with an experienced estate planning attorney will ensure they have all the needed documents. 4 essential documents included are:
As you can see, a health care directive is one of the most important documents your child can have. It’s startling how many people do not have or even know about health care directives. Did you know that almost 20% of people have not heard of them? Make sure your adult child is not one of the 20% who isn’t prepared.
An Illinois estate planning lawyer can help you create an advanced healthcare directive. Consulting with us can give you and your child protection and peace of mind. Contact the Estate & Probate Legal Group at 630-864-5835.
We serve Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties.
