Medical Malpractice Attorneys and Lawyers

do i need a living will for my mother if i already have power of attorney for medical situations?

Public Comments

1. It might still be a good idea. What does your power of attorney cover? If your mother is hospitalized for a long time, and you have to pay taxes on her house, for example, it would be sensible to have access to her bank account. If you have brothers or sisters it might be a good idea to talk over which one should take up which part of the responsibility. that depend on who lives nearby, who has experience in those ares, etc. Other things that have to be paid for include utilities, phone, cable, internet, etc. They might not care who pays them (as long as they get paid) but what if you want to change or shut off the service? They won't do that without some proof of POA. And if your POA is specifically limited to medical things, they might not be willing to do anything until a death certificate was available, which could wind up putting unnecessary bills on the estate. So, find out what your current POA covers and does not cover. Make a list of all the bills and things that would have to be paid. You have probably already asked your mother about some of these things. Ask her what she would like to have done with the house (or other properties) if she was in a nursing home, hosptialized for a long time, etc. Nobody can cover all the bases, but it is a good idea to plan. You never know what might happen. I hope this helps.
2. A Living Will is your mother's statement of her desire to be kept alive by extraordinary means (or not) if she becomes incapacitated. It would avoid having a family fight over your mother, if she has already put her desires in writing. Sometimes a health care power of attorney includes that statement in addition to giving you the right to make other medical decisions for her. Review the document that you have to see what it covers.