Health Care Directives/Living Wills/Powers of Attorney

Health care directives and living wills are written, legal instructions regarding your preferences for medical care if you are unable to make decisions for yourself. Advance directives guide choices for North Dakota and Minnesota doctors and caregivers if you’re terminally ill, seriously injured, in a coma, in the late stages of dementia, or near the end of life.

A power of attorney will allow you to choose who will make financial and legal decisions on your behalf. With a power of attorney, you will decide exactly how much and what types of power to give to your attorney-in-fact. This means you could limit the power to solely address issues such as your banking needs, paying bills or make the power so broad that it virtually covers every issue you could come across, including who will become her guardian should a guardianship be necessary.

When you plan ahead, you help reduce confusion or disagreement about the choices you would want people to make on your behalf. Health care directives and powers of attorney aren’t just for older adults, it’s important for all adults to prepare these documents.