Cook County Lawyers for Powers of Attorney and Advance Directives

Legal Help Planning for Future Incapacity in Chicago

People are living much longer lives now than in the past. The average lifespan has been steadily increasing as health care science improves and innovates. There is a very real chance that you could live to be 100 years old. However, this does mean that the degenerative diseases that plague elderly populations, such as dementia and Alzheimer's, are also on the rise. Most people who live to an advanced age will struggle with some type of age-related incapacity. Because of this, you may reach a point in your life where you are no longer able to make sound decisions for yourself.

By using documents like powers of attorney and advance directives, you can take control of your own future health care, financial management decisions, and more. Whitacre & Stefanczuk LTD strongly believes that you are the best person to make choices for yourself. While this can be a difficult topic to discuss, it is of the utmost importance. Our compassionate attorneys will guide you through the options available to you in this crucial part of estate planning.

Legal Help With Powers of Attorney in Cook County

Using powers of attorney, you can appoint the person or people you would want to make decisions for you and manage your finances in the event that you lose the mental capacity to do so. If you do not have powers of attorney in place when this happens, someone may still be appointed to make decisions for you, but it may not be the person you want, and it may be through guardianship proceedings.

One important fact to know is that you can set up your power of attorney so that it has no effect until you have been deemed incapacitated. This way, you retain complete control right up until it has been shown that you can no longer manage your affairs on your own.

Many people choose to use separate powers of attorney for health care, personal decision-making, and financial management. The person you would trust to decide what type of medical interventions you should receive may not be the same person you would trust to manage your finances.

One of the best features of powers of attorney is that you can be as specific as you please in what you are giving your agent the power to do. You can restrict them from making certain medical choices that you would not agree with, or you may set boundaries regarding what they can and cannot do with your property.

Even though your agent will have decision-making and life management powers, they can only act in ways that are governed by the terms you set out in your powers of attorney.

Attorneys for Advance Directives in Schaumburg and Arlington Heights

While powers of attorney allow you to appoint other people to make decisions for you, advance directives allow you to make certain decisions for yourself more directly. The term "advance directives" actually refers to several different types of documents, including living wills.

Living wills specifically address end-of-life care, and they take effect only once you are terminally ill and incapacitated. Everyone has their own personal beliefs about what kind of care they would like to receive in this situation. Some would prefer to be kept comfortable without any medical interventions that would prolong their life without curing them. Others would prefer to receive care to extend their lifespan. This is an intensely personal choice that only you should make.

Other types of advance directives in Illinois include Do Not Resuscitate and Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, which lets you choose whether you would want to receive CPR if your heart stops or if you stop breathing. You may also want a mental health treatment preference declaration, which allows you to make choices about the kind of care you would want in a psychiatric emergency.

Each type of advance directive could play a critically important role in your future care. It is important to make these decisions now, rather than risk having someone else make a decision you would disagree with.

We can also help with the testamentary side of estate planning by designing a will or trust for you. Both parts of estate planning are critically important.

Contact a Cook County Lawyer for Powers of Attorney and Advance Directives

Whitacre & Stefanczuk LTD is committed to helping people take control of their future needs through powers of attorney and other advance directives. Our compassionate Chicago-area advance directive lawyers will guide you through each form to make sure that your wishes are well-expressed and clear. Contact us at 773-622-6100 for a free consultation.