How do advance medical directives work?

Estate planning allows you to manage your life and your finances, but it also helps you retain control over issues affecting the end of your life. For example, you can create a document stating that you don’t want to receive life support.

When you address end-of-life issues in advance, you help ensure that your family understands your wishes and complies with them. You have several options for setting up advance medical directives in Colorado.

Living will

This option informs doctors of your wishes concerning artificial life support. They will use the form as a treatment guide if you cannot express your wishes at the time.

CPR directive

With this document, doctors never need to ask your family if they should administer CPR in case of heart or respiratory failure. Critically ill or very old and frail people can be helped by this directive because it prevents their families from facing difficult decisions.

Scope of treatment directive

If you become seriously ill or injured, this document informs your health care providers about treatments you approve of and those you don’t want to receive. It can be invaluable even if your odds of recovery are good.

Medical durable power of attorney

Unlike the other options, this directive empowers you to appoint a trusted individual to make medical decisions on your behalf if you cannot speak for yourself. If you feel you only need a single advance directive, this is the one members of the legal profession typically recommend.

As you can see, estate planning offers more than mere financial protection—it also ensures you have control over other aspects of your life. When combined, all the tools in your plan can give you peace of mind about your future.