• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
  • Elder Law
    • Coping With Alzheimer’s
    • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
    • Guardianship & Conservatorship
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Veterans Benefits
  • Seminars
  • Areas We Serve
    • Ballwin
    • Chesterfield
    • Clayton
    • Creve Couer
    • Des Peres
    • Edwardsville
    • Fenton
    • Glen Carbon
    • Glendale
    • Kirkwood
    • Maryland Heights
    • Oakland
    • Sappington
    • St. Louis
    • Sunset Hills
    • Valley Park
    • Webster Groves
  • Resources
    • Asset Protection Worksheet
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Chesterfield Elder Law
      • Fenton Elder Law
      • Kirkwood Elder Law
      • Sunset Hills Elder Law
      • St. Louis Elder Law
      • St. Peters Elder Law
      • Webster Groves Elder Law
    • FREE Estate Planning Seminars
    • FREE Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Estate Planning
      • Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Trust Administration & Probate
    • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
    • Medicaid Resources
    • Multimedia
    • Newsletters
    • Presentations
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate Checklist
    • Probate Resources
    • Retirement Planning Checklist
    • Special Reports
      • Advanced Estate Planning
      • Basic Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning For Niches
      • Trust Administration
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.

St. Louis Estate Planning & Elder Law Attorneys

Logo
CONNECT WITH US TODAY (314) 966-8077
ATTEND A FREE WEBINAR
Home / Incapacity Planning / Do You Need an Advanced Directive?

Do You Need an Advanced Directive?

December 10, 2015

Incapacity Planning

Advanced DirectiveYour estate plan should do far more than simply provide a roadmap for the distribution of your assets when you die. Ideally, your estate plan will help protect and grow your assets while you are alive as well as protect you and your loved ones while you are still here. One way to do that is to include an Advanced Directive in your plan. If your current estate plan does not include one, you may be wondering “Do you need an Advanced Directive in your estate plan?” The simple answer is that everyone can benefit from including one, or more, Advanced Directive in their estate plan.

Advanced Directives are legal documents that allow you to make important healthcare related decisions now in case you are unable to make them at some point in the future. They can also permit you to appoint someone who will have the authority to make decisions for you. Each state decides which Advanced Directives it will recognize and honor as well as what language must be included in the document for the Advanced Directive to be valid. In the State of Missouri, the following Advanced Directives are recognized:

·Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Choices – this document allows you to appoint an “Agent” who will have the legal authority to make decisions relating to medical treatment for you if you cannot make them yourself. You have the option to require one or two physicians to declare you incapacitated before the Agent’s authority will activate. 

  • ·Health Care Choices Directive – this document is similar to what people commonly refer to as a “Living Will.” You have the ability to express your wishes with regard to specific treatments you wish to refuse or have withdrawn in the event you are suffering from a terminal illness or are persistently unconscious at some point in the future. For example, you have the ability to refuse, or order withdrawn, things that include, but are not limited to, dialysis, CPR, invasive surgery, artificially supplied nutrition and hydration, and/or a respirator. With this Advanced Directive you may also choose to be an organ donor, or explicitly decline being one. Finally, you can include any other specific directions with regard to your healthcare that are important to you should you one day suffer from a terminal illness or be persistently unconscious.

Just as you make important healthcare related decisions throughout your lifetime, executing an Advanced Directive allows you to effectively continue to make those decisions even when you are unable to verbally communicate them to loved ones and providers.

If you have additional questions or concerns about Missouri Advanced Directives, contact the experienced Missouri estate planning attorneys at Amen, Gantner & Capriano, Your Estate Matters, LLC by calling (314) 966-8077 to schedule an appointment.

 

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Paul Gantner
Paul Gantner
I am an owner of Amen, Gantner & Capriano, Your Estate Matters, L.L.C. I have been able to bring my business and legal education and experience into a firm that has for many years provided comprehensive estate plans that meet clients’ needs and expectations.My passion has been creating and constantly pushing AGC’s mission of “Helping Families Secure their Legacies by Embracing them into the Law Firm Family through Long-term, Personal Advisory Relationships.”
Paul Gantner
Latest posts by Paul Gantner (see all)
  • How Tax and Non-Tax Considerations Impact Estate Planning – Part II - May 25, 2023
  • How Tax and Non-Tax Considerations Impact Estate Planning – Part I - May 18, 2023
  • The Joy in Joint Trusts - May 11, 2023

Filed Under: Incapacity Planning

Other Articles You May Find Useful

How Can a Living Trust Help with Incapacity Planning?
Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.
Free Report: Guardianship and Conservatorship in Missouri — What You May Need to Know Someday
Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.
What Are Advanced Directives for Health Care and Do I Need One?
Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.
Why Incapacity Planning Should Be Part of Your Estate Plan
Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.
Do You Need an Incapacity Plan?
Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.
What Is the Difference between SSDI and SSI?

About Paul Gantner

I am an owner of Amen, Gantner & Capriano, Your Estate Matters, L.L.C. I have been able to bring my business and legal education and experience into a firm that has for many years provided comprehensive estate plans that meet clients’ needs and expectations. My passion has been creating and constantly pushing AGC’s mission of “Helping Families Secure their Legacies by Embracing them into the Law Firm Family through Long-term, Personal Advisory Relationships.”

Primary Sidebar

Download our free Estate Planning Worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • youtube

Blog Subscription

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Where We Are

Amen, Gantner & Capriano
10733 Sunset Office Drive, Suite 425
St. Louis, MO 63127

See Larger MapGet directions

Office Hours

Monday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday8:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Map

map for Amen, Gantner & Capriano Your Estate Matters office
  • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
  • About The American Academy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

Footer

Connect to us

  • Facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • youtube
footer-logo

© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.

Amen, Gantner & Capriano,
Your Estate Matters, LLC

Attorney Advertisement