Free forms make end-of-life care decisions easier
If your end-of-life care wishes aren’t in writing, National Healthcare Decisions Day, April 16, 2019, is the perfect time to change that.
The Missouri Bar provides free materials to assist Missourians on National Healthcare Decisions Day
If your end-of-life care wishes aren’t in writing, National Healthcare Decisions Day, April 16, 2019, is the perfect time to change that. Missourians can easily set up their own durable power of attorney for health care thanks to free materials authored by volunteer lawyers and provided by The Missouri Bar. Many advocates agree that having care wishes in writing and in advance can help take stress off loved ones later, when hospitalized individuals are incapacitated or otherwise unable to clearly communicate.
National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) is an annual effort that brings together national, state and community groups to educate the public and empower them to complete an advance care directive. The 50-state annual initiative seeks to address the public’s misunderstanding about advance health care planning and directives. To learn more, visit www.nhdd.org.
“Our free forms are here to help make the discussion about your end-of-life care wishes as easy as possible,” said 2018-19 Missouri Bar President Ray Williams. “When you discuss your care choices in advance, you can take stress off your family and medical providers down the line.”
The Missouri Bar’s Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and a Health Care Directive is available in both English and Spanish, at no charge to Missourians. The form is drafted by licensed Missouri lawyers and allows you to designate an agent to know and carry out your end-of-life care choices. The forms are available by calling 573-635-4128 or online here.
For even more information about the form, listen to The Missouri Bar’s Is It Legal To… podcast episode with Brigid Fernandez, a Missouri elder law lawyer, who walks us through the process of how to both discuss our care wishes with family, and ensure we have the proper forms in place so our loved ones can carry out those wishes on our behalf. Fernandez previously answered frequently asked questions regarding the form for MissouriLawyersHelp.org.