Planning for your elderly years often means setting up things so that you can get the long-term care assistance that you need. This is something that should be done in advance, and it is never too early to start. Some things to consider are:
— Who will make your choices about health care if you are not able to do so?– Who will make your legal decisions when you no longer can?– Whether or not you want to leave instructions for the type of care you are to be given — if life support should be used, for example.– Who will tell doctors what they can and cannot do in an emergency situation?
This is especially important if you have specific wishes that you want to be followed, but that you may not be able to express on your own, due to complications. Perhaps you do not want to be on life support, for instance; if you have a heart attack, you may not be able to instruct the doctors, so others need to know what you wish.
You should not think of this as giving control over to someone else, but as staying in control yourself. Your illness or a medical emergency would rob you of this control, but you can take steps now to make sure that everything is done as you would have wanted, regardless of the situation. This gives you full control over all of your medical needs, no matter what happens.
If you want to learn more about how this process works in New York, we encourage you to check out our webpage on the subject today.