When Should You Get a Living Will for Your Parent?

One of the Yahoo Groups I regularly read has had an ongoing discussion about health care in the USA. One of the posts talked about the need for a medical power of attorney or Living Will as it’s sometimes called.

K lives in New England. She told us what happened when her mother, who did not have a medical power of attorney, had a stroke and required hospitalization and then rehabilitation.  The hospital was willing to allow K to make the important medical decisions without any legal documents. But, when it came time to release K’s mother to the rehab facility, there was only one that would accept her. And, K was required to go to court to become her mother’s legal guardian for that one to accept her mom!

In my Dad’s case, each time he was sent to the hospital, the hospital would not share details of my father’s condition until I faxed them copies of his medical power of attorney. Then, I was issued a confidentiality code which the nurses would ask me for before telling about his current status.

Both rehab facilities my father stayed at, also required that I fax copies of all of these forms.  The nurses at these skilled nursing facilities didn’t require a secret code, but  my Dad’s chart had information on it about his medical power of attorney and who they were allowed to share information with about his condition.

The medical community takes these documents very seriously.

So, when should you get a Living Will or medical power of attorney drawn up for your parent? TODAY!

And, get one for yourself and spouse while you are at it. We can’t predict when a medical crisis will occur for any particular person.  Being prepared will make all the difference.

Here is a more complete explanation of medical powers of attorney. 

If your family has an attorney, s/he is the best resource for getting these documents drawn up. Some hospitals and senior centers also provide help in making a Living Will.  You can also purchase forms or software to help in getting one completed. The laws vary from state to state about the requirements for signatures and witnesses so it is a very good idea to work with someone knowledgeable of your state’s laws.

Start today.

I am so grateful that my father had one in place when he was sent to the hospital. It made all the difference.

Here’s additional information that can help:

Wills and Estate Planning Information at NOLO.com