NFL player Damar Hamlin recently made headlines after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. While Damar is fortunately expected to make a full recovery, his experience serves as an important reminder of how quickly and unexpectedly things can change in life. Planning for your future with an estate plan and advance directives is one of the best ways you can prepare for any unexpected events.

Estate Plan

An estate plan is essentially a set of instructions that you leave behind after death or in case of disability or incapacitation. It usually includes financial documents like wills and trusts, but it also often involves setting up health care directives such as living wills or durable powers of attorney that determine what medical treatments should be administered if the person becomes unable to make their own decisions.

Advance Directives

Advance directives are especially important when it comes to sudden medical events like Damar’s. By having a living will and durable power of attorney in place, you can ensure that your wishes for end-of-life care are respected even if you cannot communicate them yourself. This is incredibly valuable for avoiding family disagreements as well as ensuring that your treatment aligns with what you want.

Damar Hamlin’s story serves as a reminder that it’s never too early to start planning and take control of your life. No matter how old or young you are, by taking the time now to create an estate plan with advance directives, you can be sure that your wishes will be respected should something unexpected happen down the line. It’s a great way to give yourself and your family peace of mind that if anything ever happens, you have already taken care of everything.

Please contact our law firm to speak with a qualified elder law and estate planning attorney to tailor a plan for you or your loved one.