Have You Made Legal Documents For Your Death?

[rhinefire]

Regardless of your age if you have not created legal instructions for the hospitals to pull the plug what is your reason? Afraid to think about it? Don't believe it can happen to you? Believe your family should spend every dime to maintain you in a carrot state? Believe God will decide? Believe it is murder?

 

[MaggieD]

Regardless of your age if you have not created legal instructions for the hospitals to pull the plug what is your reason? Afraid to think about it? Don't believe it can happen to you? Believe your family should spend every dime to maintain you in a carrot state? Believe God will decide? Believe it is murder?

Many people have trouble putting these documents together including Living Wills, Healthcare Powers of Attorney, regular Powers of Attorney, Last Will & Testament. We don't like to face our own mortality. We think it'll be expensive. We figure we'll do it "later."

The wise thing to do is to git 'er done asap. It's a kindness to one's family and a blessing to one's self. I know of not one person who regrets putting this paperwork together. On the other hand . . .

 

[GottaGo]

I've had all the documents since I was 25, when I lost my Mom.

2 weeks of 'maybe', then pull the plug. If no 'maybe', do it sooner.

 

[Fisher]

Regardless of your age if you have not created legal instructions for the hospitals to pull the plug what is your reason? Afraid to think about it? Don't believe it can happen to you? Believe your family should spend every dime to maintain you in a carrot state? Believe God will decide? Believe it is murder?

I don't want them to "pull the plug" on me. I do not have a living will or DNR and do not intend to ever execute one, nor do I believe that I am morally obligated to end my life in a manner that is in the best financial interest of those I would leave behind.

 

[MaggieD]

I don't want them to "pull the plug" on me. I do not have a living will or DNR and do not intend to ever execute one, nor do I believe that I am morally obligated to end my life in a manner that is in the best financial interest of those I would leave behind.

Then you're choosing to let doctors decide when to stop and what to do in a manner that is in their best financial interests.

 

[Fisher]

Then you're choosing to let doctors decide when to stop and what to do in a manner that is in their best financial interests.

No I am not. My wife, not the doctors, gets to decide and gets to make that decision under state law whose language is incorporated into the general power of attorney she has from me whether or not I had executed said document. If I executed a living will or a DNR I could limit her power, but not expand upon it. BTW, as a practical matter, emergency rooms will likely treat a Living Will as a DNR regardless of what it says so you would be wise not to let them know of its existence until you are certain that your loved one is a goner or else they may very well become one.

 

[sawyerloggingon]

Regardless of your age if you have not created legal instructions for the hospitals to pull the plug what is your reason? Afraid to think about it? Don't believe it can happen to you? Believe your family should spend every dime to maintain you in a carrot state? Believe God will decide? Believe it is murder?

I keep meaning to do this and write a will too but I just never seem to get around to it, I really should though.

 

[rhinefire]

i don't want them to "pull the plug" on me. I do not have a living will or dnr and do not intend to ever execute one, nor do i believe that i am morally obligated to end my life in a manner that is in the best financial interest of those i would leave behind.

"oink,oink"

 

[AlabamaPaul]

All documents executed and held at our attorney's office...

 

[ocean515]

Many people have trouble putting these documents together including Living Wills, Healthcare Powers of Attorney, regular Powers of Attorney, Last Will & Testament. We don't like to face our own mortality. We think it'll be expensive. We figure we'll do it "later."

The wise thing to do is to git 'er done asap. It's a kindness to one's family and a blessing to one's self. I know of not one person who regrets putting this paperwork together. On the other hand . . .

Outstanding advise.

My wife is an estate and probate attorney, and the mess left to loved ones can be a disaster.

\Also, let's not forget the stunning tax consequences that could occur if one has not been prudent and thoughtful about "life after me".

 

[rhinefire]

Be aware of what your beloved government will attempt to do with your savings if you don't legally forbid them. No one is happier to learn of our passing than our government. The "I don't want to think about it" approach is what the bloodsucking IRS loves to hear.

 

[GottaGo]

Be aware of what your beloved government will attempt to do with your savings if you don't legally forbid them. No one is happier to learn of our passing than our government. The "I don't want to think about it" approach is what the bloodsucking IRS loves to hear.

Some states it's automatic to the spouse or children, regardless if you have papers or not, but why take the chance of putting it out there like bait?

One thing many people forget is the small things they want a specific somebody to have, if not clarified (and that should be done separately from the will) may end up in someone else's hands.

 

[Stewart]

No I am not. My wife, not the doctors, gets to decide and gets to make that decision under state law whose language is incorporated into the general power of attorney she has from me whether or not I had executed said document. If I executed a living will or a DNR I could limit her power, but not expand upon it.

But would your wife be strong enough to make the right decision? Is she too emotional to make the right decision. Many doctors tend towards intervention(Drs, especially surgeons are action men.) Do you really want the full code? Have you discussed it with your wife.

Lets not even think about the financial incentives of those left behind. The procedures that we posses to restart life are very violent. Usually they fail. Prolonged use of ventilators increase the risk of lung blow out, feeding tubes an cause irritation, central lines can get infected.

Drs all have their horror stories, a geriatric vegetable with cancer who for 3 weeks undergoes invasive treatments due to the orders of the family, etc.

 

[Fisher]

But would your wife be strong enough to make the right decision? Is she too emotional to make the right decision. Many doctors tend towards intervention(Drs, especially surgeons are action men.) Do you really want the full code? Have you discussed it with your wife.

Lets not even think about the financial incentives of those left behind. The procedures that we posses to restart life are very violent. Usually they fail. Prolonged use of ventilators increase the risk of lung blow out, feeding tubes an cause irritation, central lines can get infected.

Drs all have their horror stories, a geriatric vegetable with cancer who for 3 weeks undergoes invasive treatments due to the orders of the family, etc.

I want them to shock me until the nuclear plant scrams from the surges and she knows this. I don't presume to know what the state of medical technology will be if and when the time comes, so she will make that decision or she won't based on the information that exists in the moment. If something happens to her, there is an alternate person named and there is someone who has access to the documents who can put them in the right person's hands if something were to happen to both of us simultaneously.

 

[chromium]

It's really not regardless of age. Being a poor college student, i don't have much reason to do any of that.

 

[douglas]

It's a moot point for me, I'm broke. I guess my family can have my big pile of nothing.

 

[Surtr]

Regardless of your age if you have not created legal instructions for the hospitals to pull the plug what is your reason? Afraid to think about it? Don't believe it can happen to you? Believe your family should spend every dime to maintain you in a carrot state? Believe God will decide? Believe it is murder?

I don't care, and I'm wealthy enough to cover the cost on my own. Non-issue for me.

 

[molten_dragon]

Regardless of your age if you have not created legal instructions for the hospitals to pull the plug what is your reason? Afraid to think about it? Don't believe it can happen to you? Believe your family should spend every dime to maintain you in a carrot state? Believe God will decide? Believe it is murder?

My wife and I made up our wills and medical power of attorney last year. We're young enough that before then we never really gave it much thought (that and we didn't really have anything worth any significant amount of money, so we figured it didn't matter).

Now though, we own a house and a couple cars and actually have assets that need to be dealt with when we die. Plus we learned the hard way what a mess it is when there's no will (or a very outdated one) and we didn't want to put our families through that.