Advance Care Planning in Alberta
Advance Care Planning Lawyers in Calgary.
Lawyers who help clients with advance care planning look after the legal preparations for when a client can no longer legally look after themselves. Advance care planning is often a sensitive topic that is hard for clients to face. The lawyers at Kahane Law Office are available in Calgary, Alberta to help clients navigate this essential aspect to estate planning.
What Is Advance Care Planning?
While it might be an unpleasant topic for many to consider, advance care planning is extremely important. It allows you to be the one who makes the decisions for your future medical care, as you might not be able to make those decisions later. Whether you age and no longer have full control of your faculties or you are in an accident, having a plan in place ensures that you receive the medical care that you feel is right for you. It helps to make your goals and needs clear at the end of your life.
Most people who think about advance care planning agree that it is very important. However, very few people actually take the time and effort to take care of this. People tend to want to avoid thoughts of illness and morbidity. It’s the same reason so many people fear the idea of making a will. However, it is one of the best things you can do for your own health, and to ensure your family does not have to be in charge of making very difficult decisions later. If you do choose someone to act on your behalf, make sure they are willing to agree to and follow through with your wishes. In the absence of advance care planning documents, your family member or loved one will have to make an application to the court for a guardianship order.
What Does Advance Care Planning Entail?
Advance care planning will typically include a living will. This legal document is also often referred to as a personal directive. It may also provide power of attorney or durable power of attorney to a third party who can make your decisions for you when you are unable to do it on your own. You will want to consider a number of things when you are planning. Think about the end of life physical needs that you might have. Do you have a preference to die at home rather than in a hospital, for example?
Make sure that you think about everything that comes after as well. Consider your funeral plans, as well as your wishes after death. Do you want to be buried, or would you rather be cremated? You also want to think about your financial matters at this point, so you can assign cosigners to your bank to handle your medical affairs. Consider all of the unfinished business that you have in your life right now, and if you can, take care of it. If not, have some type of provision in place to handle it after you’ve gone to the grave.
What Advance Care Planning Does Not Address
The decisions you make with your advance care planning are for your advanced care healthcare needs only, and they do not reflect the divvying of your assets, as a traditional will does. When you are completing your directive, talk with your healthcare professionals and your family members about what you might need for your advance care plan. In addition, consider working with an lawyer to make sure everything you do is legal and will hold up in court. Last, advance care planning documents do not continue to be valid once you pass away. At that stage your will be become the document that specifies a legal representative of you and your estate.
Advance Care Document Lawyers in Calgary
The Lawyers at Kahane Law Office in Calgary, Alberta can help with your advance care planning legal needs. These documents have very long term implications and you should have proper advice. CONNECT NOW. We can be reached toll-free at 1-877-225-8817 (or 403-225-8810 locally in Calgary, Alberta), or email us directly here.