Planning for the future is something all North Carolina adults should do. Estate planning can help protect you and your loved ones. One part of it is an advance care directive.

Advance care directives are easy to create

An advance care directive allows you to state your wishes on how you want your health care and medical decisions to be handled. If you are incapacitated and unable to verbalize your wishes, an advance care directive is one part of an estate plan that can tell what you want from your care. This legal document is easy to create.

It helps you be prepared for the unexpected

Life is often uncertain, which means you never know when a medical emergency might strike you. You could be diagnosed with a serious illness and have to make difficult decisions if it comes down to end-of-life care. With an advance care directive, you can outline how you want your care to be handled.

It takes the burden off your family members

When faced with difficult choices about a loved one’s health care, family members can feel a significant burden. For some, it’s impossible to make certain life or death decisions for another person, especially when it’s their spouse, parent or child. An advanced care directive takes that burden off your loved ones because you make all the decisions about your health care instead.

Allows your doctors to know your wishes

When you have an advance care directive, it gives your doctors the chance to know where you stand with your medical care in any given situation. It shows them that you have made an informed decision regarding your health and the medical care you wish to receive. It can improve your patient-doctor relationship as well.

If you want to take charge of your future health care and ensure that your wishes are met, an advance care directive can help you do just that.