It is natural to avoid thinking about the potential injuries, illnesses, and disabilities that could leave you unable to care for yourself in Louisiana. But failing to confront these fears and plan for the possibility can make things much more challenging for you and burden your loved ones unnecessarily. That is why it is important to understand the consequences of not preparing for the worst-case scenarios and know what actions you can take now to prevent them.
The Things That Can Go Wrong and Lead to Incapacitation
Even if you try to stay in the best shape of your life and make the healthiest possible life choices, you can still end up in a situation where you are unable to make decisions for yourself because of an injury or illness. These situations often arise due to the following:
- Accident, such as a workplace accident, fall, or motor vehicle collision
- Bad surgical outcomes
- Dementia or Alzheimer’s
- A stroke
Unfortunately, because we do not get to decide what challenges we may end up facing in the future, preparing now for anything that may come up is one of the best ways we can protect ourselves and our loved ones.
How Can an Estate Plan Help If You Become Incapacitated in Louisiana?
There are various estate planning documents that can help you if you become incapacitated due to an accident or medical emergency in Louisiana. Take, for instance, the following:
- A Power of Attorney: In Louisiana, a power of attorney provides broad authority to a person chosen to act on behalf of another. This individual is referred to as an agent and can make decisions regarding healthcare, finances, and medical emergencies.
- An Advance Directive: An advance directive is a legal document that dictates a person’s preferences for medical decisions to be made in case they are unable to make them themselves. It also helps to guide the doctor, other medical professionals, and loved ones when they have to make such critical decisions.
Communicating your wishes to a loved one about what should happen if something were to happen to you and you become unable to express your desires will not hold much weight with a healthcare professional or hospital if there is no legal document. That is why having these documents ready and accurately filled out is essential. It is also important to ensure your family members know where to find them in case of an emergency. This way, they can present the documents to the medical care worker attending to you.
Contact Losavio & DeJean, LLC Today For Further Information About Estate Planning
If you are looking to create an estate plan or want more information about documents that can help if something should happen to you and you cannot make your decisions known, contact Losavio & DeJean, LLC today. Our legal team can answer all of your questions and concerns and review with you the estate planning services we can provide.