Living Wills and Health Care Proxies

Everyone needs a living will and health care proxy.

A living will is a document that states what type of care you would wish to have or not have in the event you become incompetent or unconscious due to illness or an accident. The living will can be tailored to meet your own wishes. You can specify what type of treatments you would want or not want. You can change your living will at any time. If you don’t have a living will you may find yourself connected to life support when you wouldn’t have wanted such a thing. Likewise, you can even find yourself disconnected from life support when that would not have been what you wanted.

A health care proxy states the name of the person that you wish to make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to make your own decisions. Without a health care proxy, if you become unconscious or incompetent, no one would have the authority to receive information about your medical condition or speak to your doctors. Likewise, no one would have the authority to give instructions to your doctors. Health care proxies can be terminated or changed at any time.

Our fee to prepare a living will and health care proxy is $400.  Since you never know when you need a living will and health care proxy it is best to have them prepared now. I urge all to act and not to put it off to another day.  We also offer the combination of a will, living will, health care proxy and deposition of remains for a total of $750.  A disposition of remains is needed for the funeral home.  It states who you authorize to control your remains.

If you are interested in having a living will and health care proxy prepared for yourself or someone close to you, call us at (718) 625-0800 to schedule a free consultation.