How Does a Living Will and Health Care Power of Attorney Work Together?

An Arizona living will is used to communicate your wishes on how medical care should be administered to you if you become incapacitated or unable to communicate in Arizona or elsewhere. You might become unable to communicate as a result of being in a serious accident or due to an illness or advanced age. For people who are undergoing major surgery or who may anticipate becoming seriously ill, having an Arizona living will available is important so that your wishes are known to your family members and physicians.

If you become incapacitated, the two main documents that are used to make determinations as to how your medical care will be administered are a healthcare power of attorney and your Arizona living will. Your Arizona living will has specific information on the type of medical care that you want or don’t want if you become incapacitated. This includes information on any life-saving treatments that should or should not be used. There are no details included about how your assets are distributed included in your Arizona living will; it is only used to address medical treatments and health care preferences.

Aside from setting up an Arizona living will, you should also have a health care power of attorney arranged. This is a document that appoints an individual to be your health care representative or health care proxy. This person would be able to make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to communicate your wishes. You need to have a health care power of attorney because a living will cannot possible include all of the possible medical circumstances that might happen to a person.

Your health care proxy cannot make any decisions on your behalf contrary to what is specified in your living will. An Arizona living will or health care power of attorney does not go into effect unless you become incapacitated to the point where you are unable to communicate. Upon a person’s death, their Arizona living will and health care power of attorney are usually terminated unless there are some specifications in the living will for burial wishes or other directions.

Need Help?

If you are not sure as to what legal document you currently have contact one of our professionals to help you with your estate planning. They will make sure you have all of your grounds covered and have the right legal documents that best suite your wants and needs.