For many people, a strong misconception exists surrounding estate planning and all related matters. You may believe that you do not need to plan ahead if you do not have large amounts of assets or heirs to pass things on to.
However, anyone who has any sort of opinion on their own medical treatment and overall health will benefit from having an advance directive.
What is an advance directive?
The National Institute on Aging takes a look at the purpose of an advance directive. In short, you can use an advance directive as a way to pass on your desires to your loved ones when it comes to the medical treatment you want in specific situations. They can then use this directive in the event that you suffer from incapacitation that makes it impossible for you to communicate your desires directly.
For example, say you get into a car crash and end up falling into a coma. Obviously, you cannot communicate whether or not you want to stay on life support in this situation. Fortunately, if you have an advance directive, your family can reference this and use it to decide what to do.
Who does it benefit?
Not only does this provide security and comfort for you, but it can also help your family. For you, you get the obvious peace of knowing that no matter what happens, your medical desires will get carried out. Your family also gets to leave behind the potentially difficult task of deciding what to do with your life, which can serve as a hugely traumatic experience. In short, an advance directive benefits all involved.