There is no one better to make decisions about your health (and life) than you…it’s your life. And the time to do this is when you are of “sound mind and body” and can think rationally about what you would want to have happen should your health (or abilities) be compromised. If you don’t do it at this time, it might happen where others have to make this decision for you and this changes everything.
Your family members generally want the best for you. If anything happens to you they will want to assist you in any way they can and in a way they feel you would want. However, it doesn’t always work out that way and often times the answers they give may not be the ones you would have given. It is also very difficult to put this burden on others in a time of crisis when they may react differently than they would in calmer times. But this can all be eliminated with some pre-planning on your part.
For example, if you are in an accident and decisions need to be made about your medical care right now…your family might not know what decisions you would make. This can create problems for them (and you) as they try to decide on what care you should receive, as was discussed in the Sentinel Source, "Planning ahead for health decisions benefits everyone."
This can be eliminated…the stress and the uncertainty by planning ahead. When you make your wishes known in advance, you can ensure that they are legally enforceable. With a living will, for example, you can specifically define what procedures you want the doctors to perform on you if you are incapacitated with no chance of survival. A “Health Care Power of Attorney” can be used to appoint one or more persons to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to express your wishes.
Both documents can be prepared in advance by your estate planning attorney and put in place for when the time comes. It is one of the areas I feel is an absolute necessity for any estate plan and for everyone to have in place. It’s not a complicated process but the rewards to you and your loved ones can be immeasurable.