Don't make your family guess your health care wishes

Writing in The Salt Lake Tribune (4/15/19), Chad Bittner, MD explains the need for an Advance Health Care Directive. April 15-19 is national health Care Decisions Week.
It is very important to have conversations with family about end of life wishes and now is the time; not tomorrow, next week, or sometime.... Fewer than 30% of Americans have tackled this task.

• Discuss
• Decide 
• Document

Choose an advocate who can speak for you and express your wishes for care when you are unable to do so.
Talk with your advocate and doctor about your wishes.
Write it down.
Give copies of your health care directive to your advocate, doctor and family members.
Great tools are available at https://ucoa.utah.edu/directives/:

Utah Advance Health Care Directive Forms and Instructions

Get Help With Advance Directives at www.LEAVING-WELL.org

Will your end-of-life wishes be carried out?

Do the names Karen Ann Quinlan or Terri Schiavo ring a bell? Have you watched a friend or relative die a long, prolonged and painful death? Have you seen family members argue over how long to keep grandma alive? As medical advances enable very costly life-prolonging care, it is more important than ever to put your wishes in writing and ensure that your preferences will be carried out. If you have elderly parent or grandparents facing these questions, it's time to begin the conversation before it is too late. Join us for a discussion on how to talk with your family about your wishes for end-of-life care. Thursday, May 7, 4-5 pm at the cache County building, 179 N Main. Suite 109. For more info: call Amy: 435-535-5296 or Pat: 435-770-8272.

5 Simple Things to Prepare Now for Your Estate

These documents are easy to assemble and will be helpful to your loved ones when you pass on.

"An account list. Prepare a simple document that lists all of your financial accounts, your account numbers and contact information for those accounts. If the accounts have stated beneficiaries, include those as well.

A folder containing proof of ownership documents. In a single folder, you should include the deeds to any property you own, including land and vehicles. You should also include a statement of any accounts with significant assets – your retirement accounts, investment accounts, savings accounts and so on.

An advance directive form for your state. This document will help your family assess how to handle your medical needs should you be unable to do so.

Marriage and divorce paperwork. Make sure you have an easy-to-locate copy of your marriage certificate if you’re currently married. If you’re divorced, include copies of your divorce decree from those marriages. 

A letter to each of your loved ones. Spend some time writing a letter to each of your closest loved ones, telling them how much they mean to you and reflecting on some of the moments you shared."

For more details read Trent Hamm’s blog: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2014/04/10/5-simple-things-to-prepare-now-for-your-estate

Estate Planning 101

The Squared Away blog has a great summary of basic estate planning steps: Estate Planning 101: Who Knew? http://squaredawayblog.bc.edu/squared-away/estate-planning-101-who-knew/
Quoting the blog:
A good estate plan achieves four goals:

• Distributes one’s assets to the desired person or people.
• Ensures beneficiaries receive the money when you want them to.
• Makes appropriate bequests either directly or indirectly through a trust, rather than a will.
• Minimizes taxes.

What's missing from the excellent summary is the need for an Advance Health Care Directive (aka Living will) where you specify your wishes for end of life care and name a health care Power of Attorney to speak for you if you are unable to express your wishes. Each state provides specific guidelines. For Utah residents: http://aging.utah.edu/programs/utah-coa/directives/