Financial And Medical Directives

Protecting Your Family With Financial And Medical Directives

The prospect of losing one’s ability to make informed financial and medical decisions is a frightening one. Nobody wants to be open to exploitation at a particularly vulnerable time of life.

At Mack & Mack, we help Fort Mill area clients draft and adopt financial and medical directives — such as powers of attorney and living wills — so they can make their wishes known and choose trusted people to oversee their affairs. Contact us to speak to an experienced lawyer who will help you ensure that you are protected.

Understanding Financial And Medical Directives

The primary form of financial and medical directive in South Carolina is the power of attorney. A power of attorney gives some other person chosen by you the authority to make certain decisions on your behalf. It can be a general power of attorney, giving that person full legal authority or a special power of attorney, limited to a particular area such as medical or financial decisions.

A durable power of attorney is one that continues to operate even if you lose the ability to make informed decisions on your own. (This is called becoming incapacitated.) You can also execute a springing power of attorney, which does not take effect unless and until you become incapacitated.

If you are concerned about end-of-life medical decisions, a living will to make your wishes known, a medical power of attorney appointing a person to implement those wishes and a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ( HIPAA) authorization may all be important aspects of your plan.

When you need an estate planning or elder law attorney to help you protect yourself through the use of financial and medical directives, contact us.