What People Need to Know About Living Wills and Health Care Proxies in New York

When most people think of estate planning, they imagine writing a will that indicates how to leave their possessions for their posterity. However, an equally important step is to consider how you want your medical care to be handled if you cannot express your wishes due to age, injury, or illness.

Luckily, we can create documents that prepare for such a situation. These documents include a living will and a health care proxy. Each is a valuable part of an estate plan in New York because they allow you to make decisions now about how your medical treatment should be handled, even if you become incapacitated. Contact our legal team to create the right living will and health care proxy for your needs.

What is a Living Will?

A living will offers detailed instructions on how healthcare professionals should treat you if you are injured, ill, or otherwise unable to make your wishes known. For example, you can decide whether you want resuscitation if your heart or lungs fail. You can also dictate whether you want specific treatments, such as an artificial feeding tube.

Having a living will can give you the peace of mind that your body will be treated the way you wish, even if you can’t express those wishes to doctors and medical personnel. Contact our knowledgeable estate planning attorneys for help creating your living will today.

What is a Health Care Proxy?

A health care proxy is a document that designates one person to act in your name if you become incapacitated. In this way, you can know that if critical decisions must be made, they will be made by someone you trust to act in your best interest. Many people choose a spouse, sibling, or adult child to act as their health care proxy.

Should You Hire Our Living Wills Attorneys?

If you want to include a health care proxy or living will in your estate plan, please reach out to our legal team. We have decades of experience helping clients make these critical decisions and plan for the future.

While it may seem unimaginable to need a living will or health care proxy, it can give you and your loved ones great peace of mind to know that you are prepared if and when the time comes. Please get in touch with us to learn more. We will listen compassionately to your concerns and create a plan that matches your unique goals and needs. Call today for a consultation at (516)-928-6594.