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55.56% of voters said Yes they do.
22.22% of voters said They don't know how to get one.
11.11% of voters said They don't want or need one.
These documents are very important for you and your loved one with Alzheimer's. The time to draft and implement them is before or immediately after diagnosis, while the patient is still able to understand and convey their wishes.
What is a Living Will? It's a legal document that formalizes a person's wishes as to the amounts and types of medical care used or withheld in the case of a serious illness. It can be revoked or cancelled by the person who signed it at any time. The Living Will is also called an Advance Directive.
This web site offers an excellent comprehensive listing of resources for Living Wills, including information by state for those of us in the USA. This site provides links to virtually all you need to know about Living Wills (Advance Directives).
Seniors-Site.com has an excellent sample of a Living will. Just click here to view the example.
Another good example of a simple Living Will can be seen here.
What is a Durable Power of Attorney? It is the appointment of a person you've chosen to act in your behalf who is called your attorney in fact. Your attorney in fact must be someone you trust completely. This could be your spouse or another responsible member of your family or a friend. Additionally, the law gives you power to impose reasonable limitations and guidelines on the actions which your attorney in fact can take.
Your attorney in fact is your representative. The attorney in fact can pay bills, deposit checks, handle taxes, sell stocks, invest in securities - everything that you would otherwise do for yourself. You can specify in your Durable Power of Attorney whether you wish to have your money invested in stocks and bonds, real estate, or simply allowed to stay safely in a bank. As a safeguard, you can direct that your representative cannot sell or encumber your house as long as you're alive.
The Durable Power of Attorney also authorizes the person you've selected to make medical and health care decisions when you're in no position to make them for yourself. This may involve honoring your desire to be cared for by a particular physician in a particular medical facility, or it may involve prohibiting the use of heroic medical efforts to sustain life artificially long after it has ceased to exist in any meaningful manner.
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