Burlington estate planning attorneys at Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC assist you in identifying the steps that you need to take to prepare in case you get sick or become badly hurt. We can help you to be prepared for life’s unexpected tragedies by making effective use of legal tools that protect your autonomy and that protect your loved ones. 
You never know when something unexpected could happen and you could end up in a situation where medical decisions about your care need to be made and you are not able to make those decisions personally.
You should give us a call to find out how advanced directives can help in these situations and to get assistance from an estate planning lawyer with the creation of advanced directives. You can also read on to learn about why Burlington estate planning lawyers believe it is so important to make advanced directives.
Advanced Directives Give You Control Over Medical Decisions
There are many circumstances in which choices need to be made regarding your medical care when you are unable to communicate and make those choices. If you have made advanced directives, you get the opportunity to specify your decisions in advance of the time when the care is required.
You will be able to make sure that you get the care you want to receive when you are sick. You’ll also be able to make certain that you do not get care you don’t want and that you aren’t kept alive under circumstances where you would prefer not to be kept alive. Making choices about quality of life versus quantity of life can be very difficult and very personal and you don’t want these choices to be made by anyone other than you.
Advanced Directives Spare Your Family from Difficult Decisions
When you are sick or hurt and extraordinary measures would be necessary to keep you alive, difficult decisions often need to be made. A choice may need to be made regarding whether to use a feeding tube to keep you alive or whether to allow a ventilator to breathe for you when you cannot breathe on your own. If your family does not know what your wishes are about this issue, then they may not be certain about which decision is the right one.
Your loved ones could end up fighting over whether to withhold or perform life-saving care and the situation could even escalate to going to court if no consensus can be reached and if you have not made your preferences known regarding care. Your family could also be left with guilt if they are not certain that they made the right decision about consenting to care or denying it.
You can spare your family all of this by using a living will to specify your preferences regarding specific types of care you do and do not wish to receive and if you name a healthcare proxy who has authority to make decisions for you.
Advanced Directives Allow for Timely Decisions to be Made
If a medical emergency arises and doctors need to make an immediate decision about medical care, it can be difficult if they need to find out who can consent to care. A delay could occur in important decisions being made as a determination is necessary regarding how to proceed with your care. If you have advanced directives in place, doctors who are providing you with treatment will know what your preferences are and can act immediately by following your advanced directives.
Getting Help from Burlington Estate Planning Attorneys
Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC will work closely with you to determine the types of legal tools that you need to use in order to put advanced directives in place. We can also provide the help and support that you need as you make the tough decisions about healthcare issues and can ensure that your advanced directives are created properly in accordance with the laws so they are legally valid.
To find out more about how we can help you with advanced directives, join us for a free seminar. You can also give us a call at (802) 879-7133 or contact us online to get personalized one-on-one advice about how to prepare in case you get sick or hurt. Call today to learn more.
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