Recently, a friend of mine had a very serious medical crisis. He was unable to speak, gesture, write, or in any way communicate or act for himself for eight weeks. Of course, because he was “young and healthy”, he didn’t have a Representation Agreement. This caused enormous problems for his family and close friends. We were concerned about his bills, car insurance, missed obligations with his business relationships, and other practical issues. We couldn’t get into his cell phone or email accounts because we didn’t have his passwords, so we didn’t know how to communicate with others (who are unknown to us) in his world. We could figure out where he banked, from his mail, but nobody would talk to us without his authorization. On top of that, none of his friends or family knew what he wanted for ongoing medical care.
For him, there was no “continuity”. Even if an individual doesn’t care about themselves, if they are sick or hurt or dead, their friends and family are going to have to live with the consequences of the unwell person’s actions or non-actions.
It is highly recommended that everybody take steps to make sure that proper documentation is in place to make sure your wishes are carried out, and that your family and friends aren’t left in the dark about what to do next.
Attached is a guideline to what those left behind need to know. This is a Word document, so please add whatever spacing works for you: Click here.