Decisions About Your Health
Making decisions about your health is always a very important part about planning for your future.
It is important to plan for the future so that you can make decisions now, while you are in sound mind to do it. Putting these decisions off may result in your family not knowing what to do and having to make decisions for you later on. Making decisions now allows you to control your future.
It is best to speak with your family about any decisions that you make about your health. This way it allows them to know and prepare for the future as well. Let them know who you would like to provide care for you if you need long term care and where you would like to receive this care. You can then, as a family, plan for this and make it possible.
You can also speak with your doctor about ways to prevent or delay needing long term care. You can speak about your family history, your medical history and lifestyle. They may be able to recommend ways to help you stay healthy and independent for longer.
Healthy eating, not smoking, regular physical activity and limited drinking of alcohol can all help you stay healthy for longer. Research has also found that a safe home, active social life and regular health care and health checks all play a vital role in living healthy.
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Legal Decisions
Planning for long term care also includes legal decisions. This includes creating official documents that state your wishes for medical care in an emergency and at the end of your life.
Making these legal decisions now also means that you can decide who can make these medical decisions for you in the future. This is if you can not make them yourself.
It is very important that you consider what sort of health care and treatment that you would like before long term care begins. Researching all of the healthcare and treatment that is available to you will allow you to make an informed decision as to which care you would like.
It is also a good idea to ask your family's advice on the matter as well. They can help you research everything and also understand your wishes fully. These discussions can be very hard for everyone involved. But just remember, telling your family your wishes ahead of time will allow them to answer important questions later on.
Experts say that you should create three types of legal documents or advance directives as they are known. These documents are;
- a living will,
- a health care power of attorney
- a do not resuscitate order, if desired.
Planning for the future now allows you to have control over your future. It allows your family to prepare and help you and also saves them a lot of time when it comes to getting you the help that you would like.
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