When should I contact an advance care planning lawyer?

If you are over the age of 18 and you have not yet completed an advance care planning directive, an advance care planning lawyer can help you begin the process and ensure that the documents necessary for ensuring your wishes are carried out are in place. This is particularly important if you have been diagnosed with a serious medical condition that could potentially deprive you of your decision-making ability.

How do I ensure that my advance care planning directive is valid?

In order to ensure that advance care directives are valid, they must be signed in the presence of a notary and two witnesses.

Once I have an advance care planning directive, what should I do with it?

You should give a copy of the directive to your doctor to have it placed in your medical record. Additionally, you should be sure to provide your health care agent with a copy and discuss with them what your wishes are. Advance care directives can also be filed with the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office’s health care directive registry.

Wilmington Advance Care Planning Lawyer

Making plans for your future medical care is known as advance care planning. If you become critically ill or injured and cannot express your preferences or make decisions, advance care planning will outline the type of medical care you would or would not wish to receive.

This plan is better than leaving your family in a tailspin when an emergency happens. Schedule an appointment with a Wilmington advance care planning lawyer at Johnson Legal, PLLC to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Why You Need a Wilmington Advance Care Planning Lawyer

Advance care planning is helpful to you, your family, caregivers, and health care providers. Suppose you are extremely ill or injured and have yet to express your preferences in writing or designate a replacement decision-maker. In that case, medical professionals will decide on medical treatment based on what they believe is in your best interest. This might involve receiving treatments you wouldn’t choose if you could pick them yourself. A Wilmington advance care planning lawyer will ensure you are protected.

Ask Your Wilmington Estate Planning Lawyer About the Types of Advance Care Directives

At Johnson Legal, PLLC, we give our clients a variety of options when it comes to advance planning. Even in this subset of estate planning, there are numerous ways to give advance directives.

Living Will

This document outlines your preferences for how choices concerning your medical care will be made for you while you are still alive, should the need arise. The medical care decisions that are most frequently made involve whether or not to stop or withhold life-sustaining treatment.

Suppose a patient’s illness is confirmed to be terminal and incurable. In that case, they may express a desire not to have life-saving measures by signing a Living Will in line with G.S. 90-321(c).

Health Care Power of Attorney

A Health Care power of attorney (POA) is a signed legal instrument designating another person as the patient’s healthcare proxy for medical choices if the patient loses mental ability. The range of decisions that living wills can cover is comparatively constrained, which is why it is wise to also have a Health Care Power of Attorney. In the unlikely event, someone cannot make decisions about their health, this type of power of attorney enables someone to take charge and make important decisions. The POA is only permitted to make the decisions expressly stated in this document.

North Carolina has a simplified form that combines the Living Will and Health Care Power of Attorney into one form, called an Advance Directive.

Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) or Medical Orders for the Scope of Treatment

If the patient’s heart or breathing stops, end-of-life decisions like a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Order enables the patient or their health care agent acting on their behalf to decline cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) attempts. A DNR must be written on a particular form and obtained by a doctor. It’s crucial to realize that a DNR only applies to the choice to forgo CPR and does not cover any other kind of life-supporting care. A DNR is like a prescription and can only be written by a doctor, and usually only for people experiencing terminal or life-limiting circumstances.

North Carolina also has a more comprehensive DNR form, called the “MOST Form.” MOST stands for Medical Order for Scope of Treatment. Topics like these can get very technical. It’s best to schedule a consultation at our offices to find out what is best for you and your lifestyle.

Post-Estate Planning With a Wilmington Estate Planning Lawyer

Once your advance directive is finished, make sure copies are sent to your healthcare proxy, your healthcare professionals, your hospital, and anyone else you believe should know. Additionally, you might want to update your care preferences down the line. What if there are advancements in medicine after you make your plan? If you have a serious diagnosis, get married, or if your spouse passes away, your plan may need to be changed substantially. The estate planning attorneys at Johnson Legal, PLLC understand this. Always feel to schedule a consultation to discuss the pros and cons of altering your plan.

Comprehensive Estate Planning Services in Wilmington, NC

While planning for your advanced care, consider what other plans you may need to put in place.
Here are some additional services we offer:

Our Location

1213 Culbreth Dr., Suite 448
Wilmington, NC 28405

Resources

New Hanover County Courthouse
316 Princess St
Wilmington, NC 28401
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Contact a Wilmington Advance Care Planning Lawyer

Find a skilled Wilmington advance care planning lawyer in your region to make the most of your medical care plans. Allow our knowledgeable staff to assist you at every turn. Touch base with Johnson Legal, PLLC right away to schedule a consultation.

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What Our Clients Say

5 out of 5 stars!

Shane Johnson is an amazing estate attorney. He really cared about our needs, was friendly, knowledgeable, thorough, responsive, and professional. He explained everything in simple, easy to understand ways, and always made sure our questions were answered fully to our satisfaction.

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Shane Johnson has been our family attorney for many years. He has helped us with business issues, insurance difficulties and estate planning. It is nice to have an attorney that we trust. He is a plain-speaking attorney that takes the complicated and makes it easy to understand.

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Shane came highly recommended and he did not disappoint! He was easy to get into contact with, explained the estate planning process in a simple way, and just is an all around nice guy to work with. I can not recommend his services enough. Great experience.

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Shane is not only an expert in his field, but truly cares about people. He is very attentive and follows a detailed process to customize an estate plan that is in the best interest of his clients.

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In working with my wife and I, Shane was thorough, professional, and personable throughout our planning process. He answered our questions and provided the appropriate legal package to meet our needs.

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A painless process, Shane guided me through creating a Trust for my daughter that allows a smooth process of transitioning my business and personal business affairs. He was great to work with, very thorough and easy to talk to. I also have an easy-accessible digital card of the Trust that fits in my wallet so family can retrieve immediately. It's the small things, but that is a huge comfort for me.

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Shane was very kind, knowledgeable, and super helpful!!! I definitely recommend him.

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Wilmington Advance Care Planning Lawyer

Wilmington Advance Care Planning Lawyer

Why You Need a Wilmington Advance Care Planning Lawyer