Florida Elder Law Attorneys
Lawyers in Port Richey for advance directives and long-term care
Advance directives allow you to express your wishes about medical treatment and appoint trusted people to handle your affairs. Delzer, Coulter & Bell, P.A., assists older clients and their families with advance directives such as durable medical powers of attorney and living wills.
The firm understands how to effectively apply elder law to estate planning, helping you make financial decisions that support your goals and benefit your heirs.
Learn more about how elder law impacts disability and long term care issues, including Medicaid planning and the use of Veterans Administration benefits.
Durable powers of attorney
To ensure that your needs are properly addressed if you become incapacitated, you can give another person — your agent — the authority to make decisions about your personal matters. A durable power of attorney gives your agent control of your health care decisions or your legal and financial issues. You may choose one person to act as agent in both areas, or you may choose different people. Durable powers of attorney can give you the comfort of knowing that your affairs will be handled wisely, and your best interests will be protected. Florida’s new power of attorney law takes effect October 1, 2011. Although powers of attorney executed before October 1, 2011, remain valid, you may wish to have your power of attorney evaluated to determine the effect of the new law.
Living wills and health care surrogate declarations
In Florida, you can create a living will to make it known that you do not wish the end of your life to be prolonged by artificial means. A Florida living will allows you to name the conditions under which you would not want to have life-prolonging medical treatment if you are incapacitated. These may include:
- A terminal condition
- An end-stage condition
- A persistent vegetative state
If your doctors determine that there is no reasonable likelihood of your recovery from the condition or conditions that you have named, your living will requires that life-prolonging procedures be withheld or withdrawn.
Your living will may appoint a health care surrogate. This person upholds the choices that you have made, ensuring that doctors follow the instructions you have given. Your surrogate’s authority is limited to the enforcement of your instructions as described in your living will.
Prepare for your future needs with help from a skilled elder law attorney
Delzer, Coulter & Bell, P.A. offers a free consultation to review your elder law needs. Rebecca C. Bell is a Florida Board Certified Elder Law Attorney who can help you make the right decisions about your future. Contact the firm online or call 877.815.4218.