5 Legal Documents All Seniors Should Already Have

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#3 Health Care Proxy

Also known as a “health care power of attorney,” this is probably one of the most important legal documents and advances directives that are going to make sure that your health-related wishes will be honored even if you are not present to speak for yourself. You can end up looking over one online and then even go to your local hospital or physician to discuss it more.

This legal document is important because, through it, you will appoint someone to be your healthcare proxy in case of an emergency. This means that the person you will appoint should understand your wishes very well and should be able to withstand pressure, as this position will be tough to manage, especially if the situation calls for going against the family.

The Health Care Power of Attorney or Proxy will be able to defend the senior’s wishes, and they should also know whether or not your views on certain things have changed, so regular conversations will be needed. The proxy part of this document comes in when the physician, family, or hospital determines that the senior cannot make decisions for themselves or cannot communicate.

Before you put your trust in this document, make sure that the proxy you’ve chosen meets both state and state department of elder affairs requirements.

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29 Responses

    1. Google on-line for your state (e.g., DPOA for Florida; Wills in Virginia). That’s a good start, anyway. I did all myself paying a fee ($99) to make sure that all of the forms were legal in my state, etc. It can be done from one source, as I did, or you can Google separately for each document you need. General advice, I guess, is to keep it all simple…

    2. Linda,

      Look up above where there are 6 squares #1 thru #6. When you click on #1 it will talk to you about the forms. Starting at # 2 discusses the first form and going through to #6 that is the last form. #2 through #6 talks about each type of form. They don’t provide any actual forms but rather how each one affects you – Lawyer will have each form that you might need. You can list each type and if you go see a lawyer bring that list with you and he can advise you legally how each one handles your request in the case of your death. Hope this helps

    3. We can to our Library and get books on how to make a will-make or a power of attorney- make a trust fund or but make sure you know the difference meaning revocable and non-revocable-trust funds are very expensive to do and pay whoever holds this form. A medical form can be done at your Dr.office most have that form. OR if you go back to your mail you can click on there when your mouse comes up up-click. Hope this helps.

  1. It would have been nice if you posted these necessary items. As seniors we don’t often remember what to have for our kids to make our passing easy .

  2. I am very interested in having these documents available. I worry about what could happen if I don’t have things in order if I wind up in a long term care facility or on my death.

  3. What 5 Legal documents are they? What’s the cost of these documents and do they meet the state of Pennsylvania’s Law?

  4. For our 1st anniversary, my Husband took me to a Funeral home and we made arrangements for our deaths. Everything was set up except for what we would wear and the flowers. Everything went on a payment plan and when that was paid for, the interest kept accumulating – so our funeral is paid in full. Then our 2nd anniversary, we bought burial plots. The 3rd year we bought a marker, monument, with all the information, except date of death, the next year we got a Trust made out. Every year thereafter, we update it.

  5. Is there a place to locate these documents without having to pay for an attorney? Are there sites that offer these documents, to be filled out, for free or at low cost?

  6. I was a store manager at Office Depot and we carried multiple packets of documents, most of the ones mentioned in this email. They start at $9.99 to $19.99…hope this helps!

  7. I have my last will and testament, but I do not know where to go to get it made official. Just to a Notary, or to the courthouse?

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