Living Wills: Not Just for Older Adults
Parties…mortgages…diapers…college…soccer games…
In your 20s and 30s – when you are out enjoying life, starting a family, building your career – the last thing you probably want to think about is becoming seriously ill or dying. In fact, many young adults view estate planning and preparing medical directives as something that people only do when they get old. But the truth is that no matter how healthy or active you are – or how invincible you feel – you can still succumb to injury or disease that leaves you incapacitated and unable to make decisions for yourself.
Creating a living will is an important step for all adults to take – regardless of your family status. A living will enables you to state, in writing, exactly how you want your medical treatment administered (or avoided) if you cannot speak for yourself.
Having a living will can help to remove or lessen the burden of making very tough decisions from your family’s responsibilities. This document, while not completely all-encompassing, can guide your parents, siblings, spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend or children in the right direction when they are faced with making decisions on your healthcare for you.
Living Will Resources in Colorado
If devising a living will seems overwhelming, there are some resources which you can utilize to gather information and even talk with other people about the options available. Then contact The Brown Law Firm LLC and let us help you devise a comprehensive living will in Denver.
- Mayo Clinic Living Will Issues
- Death Cafes
- Death Over Dinner
- Colorado Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment (MOST)
Complement Your Living Will
Of course, a living will may not cover every single situation that you may encounter. This is why it is also important to appoint a medical power of attorney to act on your behalf and make decisions for you. This person could use the guidelines set within your living will to choose what you would want to the best of his or her ability.
Keep in mind that if you are choosing a medical power of attorney in your 20s, you may want to revisit your choice regularly to ensure that you are still confident in that person’s abilities. Your fraternity brother may seem like the best choice when you are 21, but you may meet a more qualified person in your late 30s who you would want making important decisions on your behalf.
Hopefully you will never need to put your living will into action, but having this document in place will not only give you peace of mind…it will also help protect your family – and hopefully help avoid family fighting, drama, guilt and grief.
To start the discussion about creating a living will as a young adult, contact The Brown Law Firm LLC today. Call (303) 339-3750 or send us a message online.