Begin arranging their estate plans when they retire. But they should also arrange for what happens when they become unable to make decisions but are still living.

Dementia and other afflictions leading to mental disabilities destroy our ability to act for ourselves – such as handling our financial and medical decisions. If you haven’t formally assigned someone to make those decisions for you, someone else will – and may not make the kind of decisions you’d like.

But you can only choose someone to act for you when you’re mentally competent. So, below, I discuss the type of Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care you can assign to anyone to act for you.

This is a preview of Use a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and a Medical Directive to Appoint Someone You Trust to Act on Your Behalf. Read the full post (699 words, estimated 2:48 mins reading time)