• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
< class="site-title" itemprop="headline">Flood & Masiuk LLC | Southampton Estate Planning Attorneys

Attorneys At Law

  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • About The American Academy
    • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Speaker Connection
  • Estate Planning
    • Asset Protection and Business Planning
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning Services
    • Trust Administration and Probate
  • Elder Law
    • Are You A Caregiver?
    • Coping With Alzheimer’s
    • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
    • Guardianship & Conservatorship
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Veteran’s Benefits
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Elder Law Reports
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Needs Checklist
      • Estate Planning Reports
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Legacy Wealth Planning FAQ’s
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning FAQs
      • Trust Administration & Probate FAQs
    • LGBTQ Resources
    • Newsletters
    • Special Needs Resources
    • Trust Administration & Probate Resources
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
Home / Incapacity Planning / Should I Have a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care?

Should I Have a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care?

April 14, 2015 by Marianne Flood, Estate Planning Attorney

Should I Have a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care?We do all kinds of things throughout our lives to protect ourselves from events that may or may not happen. This is what insurance is all about, and you can apply this principle when you are devising your long-term plan for aging and eventual death.

It is natural to avoid subjects that are not very pleasant to consider. At the same time, you do not want your house to be flooded, but you probably do have flood insurance. With this in mind, let’s look at the value of a durable power of attorney for health care.

Advance Directives

Planning ahead for your active retirement years is necessary and proper, but you should also consider the twilight years that will follow if you want to be pragmatic. Many people become unable to communicate their own decisions at some point in time. You may want to prepare for this possibility in advance.

When it comes to health care decision making, you could execute a durable power of attorney for health care. In some areas, this document is called a health care proxy.

A power of attorney that is not durable would no longer be effective if the person who granted the power was to become incapacitated. A durable power of attorney would remain in effect upon the incapacitation of the grantor of the device.

If you create a durable power of attorney for health care, you name an agent or attorney-in-fact. This agent would be empowered to make medical decisions for you in the event of your incapacitation.

When you have a durable power of attorney for health care in place, you can go forward with peace of mind. Hopefully, you will always be able to make your own medical decisions. However, if you do become unable to communicate them, a decision-maker of your own choosing will be standing at the ready to act for you.

The execution of a durable power of attorney for health care is clearly going to be a benefit to you personally. At the same time, it can provide an added benefit.

If you do not have a durable power of attorney, your closest relative would be asked to make medical decisions on your behalf. Everyone in the family may not be on the same page, and there could be factions who question the authority of the decision-maker.

When you choose your own representative, everyone will know that the person making decisions is the individual that you personally selected, so there would really be no cause for disagreements.

Incapacity Planning Consultation

We would be glad to assist you if you would like to discuss incapacity planning with a licensed professional. To set up a free consultation, send us a message through this page: Southampton PA Incapacity Planning.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Marianne Flood, Estate Planning Attorney
Marianne Flood, Estate Planning Attorney
As the founder and managing partner of the Southampton, Pennsylvania law firm of Flood & Masiuk, LLC, Marianne Flood oversees a practice devoted to providing clients with personalized service and counsel in all aspects of estate planning.
Marianne Flood, Estate Planning Attorney
Latest posts by Marianne Flood, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
  • What Is a Qualified Personal Residence Trust? - July 24, 2015
  • Will Medicaid Take My Home? - July 22, 2015
  • 2015 Estate Tax Exclusion Adjustment Released By IRS - July 18, 2015

Filed Under: Incapacity Planning

About Marianne Flood, Estate Planning Attorney

As the founder and managing partner of the Southampton, Pennsylvania law firm of Flood & Masiuk, LLC, Marianne Flood oversees a practice devoted to providing clients with personalized service and counsel in all aspects of estate planning.

Primary Sidebar

Blog Subscription

Flood & Masiuk LLC | Southampton Estate Planning Attorneys

112 Lakeside Park
Southampton, PA 18966
Phone: (215) 322-6330
Fax: (215) 322-9199

MAP

map for Flood & Masiuk LLC office

Opening Hours

Monday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Footer

  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.

All Rights Reserved.
Attorney Advertisement

footer-logo
  • fb
  • twitter
  • linked-In