Taking care of yourself, part one

I include entries about personal health and healthcare because so many aspects of our lives are affected by our health--our family lives, our professional lives, and our sense of well-being and self-worth. In the legal arena, health issues affects our finances (possibly causing bankruptcy), our families (like assisted reproduction), and our estates (linking finances and families, such as special needs trusts or powers of attorney).

The New York Times runs excellent articles on health topics, including this recent essay on how we define our health, and this article on using the internet to find abundant health information. The second article includes lists of websites with medical information on general health, diseases, and research.

Also, in terms of estate planning, we often limit our thinking to what happens to our stuff after we die, but we need to remember to give some directions for when we are still living, but may not be able to express our wishes directly. Enter advance directives, the most important of which is the health care power of attorney. Wisconsin has a state form for health care power of attorney, by which an individual age 18 or older may designate someone (the health care "agent") to make decisions on the individual's behalf when the individual is incapacitated (as defined by state law in the document).

But don't stop with just filling out a form. A health care power of attorney is only as meaningful as the conversations you've had with your designated agent. You want your agent to make decisions as you would. So, discuss your wishes and philosophy of medical care with your agent, family, and friends. Even if it is difficult to talk about serious injury or illness that would require your agent to act on your behalf, consider how much harder it would be for your loved ones to try to guess what your wishes would be and who you would want to speak for you.

(Photo by Lee Maguire, used by permission.)