Every adult should have a plan in place that outlines the care they would wish in extreme circumstances, and they should have an agent who has agreed to carry out their wishes. Even young, healthy people can be critically injured in an accident. Have you thought about what kind of care you would want if that happens to you?
At Parakletos Law PLC, we are experienced lawyers dedicated to helping our clients achieve their life objectives. Our faith and conviction inform the compassionate service we provide clients in Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa counties, including the towns of Hudsonville, Holland, Wyoming, Allendale, Byron Center, Grandville, Jenison, and Zeeland. Let us help you make a plan that will give you the care that you’d wish for should you become incapacitated: a plan that will prevent your family from having to make impossible choices under horrible conditions.
Call our law firm today for your initial consultation with a healthcare planning attorney in Hudsonville.
Healthcare planning is the process of choosing care that’s right for you throughout your life. Part of the process includes putting your plan into writing and communicating it to others. Your plan should include everyday care planning that stems from conversations with your doctors for proactive, preventative care. Your plan should also include advance care planning. That means making decisions now about the care you do and do not wish to receive if you should become incapacitated. Your plan will allow your doctors and other caregivers to match the care you receive to your choices throughout your life.
You’ll need a seasoned attorney like the ones at Parakletos Law PLC to help you put the documents in place that support your plan. Our Hudsonville lawyers can coordinate with your doctors, if you wish, to craft a plan that will support your needs throughout your life. You should review your plan every few years and revise it as necessary.
A strong healthcare plan should include several fundamental documents. An attorney from our law firm can help you create these documents. You should consider including the following advance directives:
In addition to these advance directives, you may wish to include a Declaration of Anatomical Gift with your healthcare plan. In this document, you can specify that you want to donate your body or body part for transplantation, therapy, research, or education upon your death.
When you first meet with your Hudsonville lawyer from our law firm, you may already have a good idea who you would like to be your patient advocate or agent. But you should keep in mind that state law imposes a few requirements.
The person you choose must be at least 18 years old. Additionally, they’ll have to be willing to carry out your wishes and accept the responsibilities of this role in writing before they can act. They must act in your best interest, taking your morals and religious beliefs into account. They must maintain confidentiality regarding all issues connected with your care. They can only act when you are unable to participate in medical treatment decisions.
Your advance directives can specify whether this person has authority over only your physical medical needs or if they also have authority regarding your mental health needs. The governing documents will include language that details who can determine that you are unable to act for yourself. More than one doctor usually makes that decision, but you are able to modify this requirement.
You may wish to appoint a successor patient advocate, just in case the person you originally chose is unable or unwilling to act when the time comes.
Before you can complete your advance directives, you must determine what types of care you wish to receive when you near the end of your life. End-of-life care doesn’t just come into play when you are a senior citizen. If you’re in a catastrophic accident, you might need these provisions sooner than you would wish.
When you and your lawyer make these decisions part of your healthcare plan, you will make your terminal illness or injuries and passing much easier on your loved ones. When you use advance directives, you can explicitly state what care you do and don’t want. Your family members won’t have to be torn by decisions about whether you would have wanted a particular life-saving measure or not.
Consider whether you want palliative care. This type of care provides support and symptom relief for people with chronic or terminal conditions and their caretakers.
You should also determine whether you want hospice care. Hospice is medical care for people with a life expectancy of six months or less. Hospice care addresses your medical, physical, spiritual, and psychosocial needs. It focuses on you, the patient, not the illness. The hospice workers will coordinate patient care and clarify their goals.
Review your healthcare plan with your lawyer at least every few years. A change in your health can also trigger a review, such as when you discover that you have an illness that will eventually be terminal. Additionally, if the person you appoint as your patient advocate passes away, or if you named your spouse and you divorce, you should update your plan.
An error can derail your plan from the start. The worst error is not making a plan at all. However, these errors can also put your healthcare in limbo:
When you’re ready to develop a lifetime plan for your healthcare, call the seasoned lawyers of Parakletos Law PLC. We are dedicated to providing guidance and clarity to clients in Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa counties, including the communities of Hudsonville, Holland, Wyoming, Allendale, Byron Center, Grandville, Jenison, and Zeeland.
Our name, “Parakletos,” means “the one who walks beside another.” We see ourselves in that role: advocates, comforters, and encouragers for our clients. Contact our law firm today for your consultation with one of our healthcare planning lawyers in Hudsonville, and let us serve you with faith and compassion.
Embrace the strength of Parakletos Law PLC, where advocacy meets action. Ready to shape your legacy or tackle family law with a compassionate guide? Call the office in Hudsonville or reach out via the website contact form to start your journey. Your future is waiting – let’s protect it together.
