Baby Boomers: Enjoy Life Responsibly
Colorado Baby Boomers are turning age 65 at one of the fastest rates in the United States. According to the state demography office, Colorado is expected to see a 125% increase in the 65+ population from 2010 to 2030. Studies are also showing that 60 is the new “middle age” – a time to embrace your age, your health and your happiness.
If you are in the Baby Boomer generation, it is also important to be responsible about sharing your end-of-life wishes with your loved ones. Unfortunately, even the healthiest of people can become chronically ill or be faced with a life threatening situation. By creating advanced care planning documents, you can save your family from having to make tough decisions about your medical care if you become incapacitated.
At The Brown Law Firm LLC, we can help you create a written Living Will and Medical Power of Attorney.
Living Will
A living will is a document that outlines how you wish to receive medical care in the event you are unable to communicate your wishes. For example, you may want to outline how you wish to approach such issues as :
- Mechanical ventilation to breathe
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Dialysis
- Tube feeding
- Organ or tissue donation
- Donation of your body for scientific research
- Spending last days at home
Medical Power of Attorney
A medical power of attorney is a specific person who is designated by you to act on your behalf regarding your medical care or treatment in the event you cannot do so. It is important to choose a person you trust 100% to make the best decisions, based on your wishes, for your care – and not to have ulterior motives.
Your medical power of attorney can use the guidelines you set in your living will to make decisions for you.
Your Doctor Can Help, Too
These types of end-of-life decisions are not always easy to make. Your doctor could help you understand what advanced care options exist so you can decide what is best for you and your family. These are very personal conversations and you may have to encourage your doctor to have them with you. There is a new Medicare rule that stresses the importance of this process; certain physicians can even start billing the federal health insurance program for their time spent with patients discussing these matters.
Reassess Your Medical Directives Often
It is advisable to have discussions about advanced medical care with your physician and family often – and make any necessary edits to your living will to reflect your new wishes and values. The better you keep your legal documents updated, the less stress your family will face while you are ill and after your death.
So, Baby Boomers…get out there and enjoy life! Just make sure you have a solid plan in place to safeguard your family from having to make difficult choices for you.
At The Brown Law Firm LLC, we are in tune with the Colorado laws surrounding living wills and medical powers of attorney. If you would like help creating a living will in Denver, please contact us at (303) 339-3750 or send us a message online.