old man looking out window

None of us like thinking about end-of-life plans, and we certainly don’t want to think about diseases like dementia that can leave us unable to make our own decisions while we are still alive. It’s important to plan for all possibilities though, for the sake of yourself and your family. Our Washtenaw County power of attorney lawyers can help you with that.

Can I Choose Who Makes My Financial Decisions If I Have Dementia?

You can give your financial power of attorney to a trusted friend or relative. They would then be able to make your financial decisions for you once you are no longer able to do so.

You can give someone this power right away, but you can also decide to only award them financial power of attorney once you have become incapacitated by dementia or another disease. This is called a “springing” power of attorney. Once you are declared incapable of handling your own affairs, someone with financial power of attorney can step in and take care of these matters for you.

Who Makes My Medical Decisions After a Dementia Diagnosis?

You can also assign someone your healthcare power of attorney, making them your healthcare proxy and the person who will make medical decisions for you once you have been incapacitated. You can give financial and healthcare power of attorney to one person or your can choose two different people to bestow these responsibilities upon.

Do I Need a Living Will?

Once you have given someone your healthcare power of attorney, you should also write a living will. This is a healthcare directive that can give your proxy some guidance about what you would want them to do. A living will can address matters like:

  • Resuscitation
  • Which medical treatments you would and would not want to receive
  • Whether you would want to be kept alive with the use of tools like ventilators or feeding tubes

Your living will can make it easier for your healthcare proxy to make informed decisions once you have been sidelined by a disease like dementia. The more information you give them, the better they can feel about the extremely tough decisions they will have to make.

What Other Documents Should I Have a Lawyer Prepare?

While you are making these plans and assigning power of attorney, you should also create a will of your own. Our lawyers can also help you explore other options, like trusts. We can help you find the most effective ways to protect your assets and ensure that they are passed down to the right beneficiaries.

Schedule a Consultation Today

When you are ready to make an estate plan of your own, contact Collis, Griffor & Hendra. We can schedule a consultation with our team and help you plan for the future. Contact our law firm today.

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