Honoring Your Wishes, Protecting Your Family

Every estate plan should include an advance health care directive (a.k.a. a living will or health care power of attorney), which provides for what type of medical care you will--or will not--receive and who will make medical decisions on your behalf if you become unable to make those decisions yourself. Advance health care directives can also provide for such things as organ donation and funeral arrangements. 

The Law Offices of Dylan Boyd can draft an advance health care directive that will ensure that your particular health care and end-of-life decisions are well-respected. Please inquire online or call our office at (207) 536-7147 to schedule consultation. 

Why Is It Important?

An accident or sudden illness can leave you incapacitated. What happens when there is a question about your medical treatment? People have strong feelings about these things--like life support, pain management, and organ donation. You may want one thing, while family members want another thing. Without an advance health care directive, your preferences may not be known. And if so, those choices will be made by someone else, and what they want may differ from what you would have chosen. To maintain control over your medical treatment in the event that an illness or injury leaves you unable to speak for yourself, you need an advance health care directive.

An advance health care directive can also eliminate the guilt that a patient's loved ones can feel when they have to make a medical decision that could end the patient's life. Likewise, it can prevent disagreements or disputes among family members if they have to decide your fate.

At the Law Offices of Dylan Boyd, our estate planning attorneys will work closely with you to draft a document that protects your wishes with regard to health care. 

Living Will vs. Last Will and Testament 

A living will (a.k.a. advance health care directive) is different from a last will and testament in two important respects:

• A living will takes effect when the person is still alive, while a last will and testament only applies when the person has passed away.
• A living will directs healthcare decisions, while a last will and testament directs how the deceased person's property is to be distributed.

A single person can have both a living will and a last will and testament. In fact, you should have both.

Contact Us Today

At the Law Offices of Dylan Boyd, our estate planning attorneys will help you design an advance health care directive that suits your wishes. Contact us today by either calling (207) 536-7147 or filling out our online form to schedule a consultation.