DO YOU NEED A WILL?
If you die without a Will, Ohio law determines who will inherit your assets, regardless of what your wishes may have been. Making a will is an excellent way to ensure that your plans for leaving property to family, friends and organizations of your choice are carried out after you die. Fees for a simple will begin at $100.00.
EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A LIVING WILL.
DID YOU KNOW?
Nearly 80% of all Americans die in a hospital or other care facility. And doctors who work in them are generally charged with preserving a patient's life through whatever means are available. When a patient can no longer communicate and has little chance of recovering or leading a meaningful life, this guiding proposition of preserving life flies in the face of legitimate financial concerns and common sense. And most importantly, it often contradicts what the patient would have wished had he or she been able to express wishes.
The only way for patients to override a doctor's general duty, and the religious, philosophical and economic underpinnings of the health care institution, is to leave written instructions for the medical care they prefer in case they become unconscious or otherwise incapable of expressing those wishes.
The Supreme Court held that everyone retains a constitutional right to control his or her own medical care. It held that “clear and convincing” evidence of an individual's wishes about medical care should be followed--- EVEN IF THEY CONFLICT DIRECTLY WITH THE WISHES OF CLOSE FAMILY MEMBERS (Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Dept. Of Health, 497 U.S. 261 (1990).)
You will have the most thorough assurance that your preferences for medical care will be followed if you complete:
- specific written instructions---a Living Will --- that describes the medical care you want if you can no longer express your wishes, and
- a written authorization---called a Durable Power of Attorney for Health care---that names another person to supervise your wishes.
