Having properly drafted directives ensures your values guide medical care, aligns treatment with preferences, and minimizes disputes among relatives. Our team helps you tailor documents for Maryland requirements, including physician orders and surrogate decision-making, so your wishes are respected even when you can’t communicate them yourself.
A unified plan reduces conflicting orders and ensures all care teams follow your documented preferences. With clear agents and defined triggers, families feel reassured that medical decisions reflect your values, even under stress.
Choosing us means working with attorneys who specialize in estate planning and elder law in Maryland. We listen carefully, explain options clearly, and tailor directives to your unique health, family, and financial situation.
We assist with revisions, re-signing where necessary, and re-distribution of updated copies to physicians and proxies to maintain continuity of care.
A living will is not always mandatory if you have a comprehensive power of attorney for health care and a clearly stated directive. However, having both provides redundancy and clarity, ensuring your wishes are respected across care settings. Always tailor documents to your state laws and medical preferences.
Start with conversations about your health goals and values, then gather any existing medical records, current medications, and a list of potential health care proxies. From there, a qualified attorney can draft Maryland-compliant documents and explain how they interrelate with proxies and powers of attorney.
Yes. You can update directives as life changes occur, such as marriage, divorce, childbirth, or shifts in health. Regular reviews help ensure your documents stay aligned with your current wishes and with evolving Maryland law.
A health care proxy designates who can speak for you when you cannot communicate, while a durable power of attorney for health care grants authority to make medical decisions on your behalf. They work together to ensure timely and appropriate care decisions.
Consider trust, reliability, and accessibility. Choose someone who understands your values, is available in emergencies, and can manage medical information. It is wise to name alternate proxies if your first choice is unavailable.
Yes. These documents complement each other with wills or trusts by providing immediate decision-making authority and explicit preferences for medical treatment, which can prevent conflicts and ensure continuity of care regardless of probate outcomes.
If there are no directives and no proxy, medical teams may seek court appointments or defer decisions, which can delay care. Having directives and a trusted proxy helps ensure timely, patient-centered decisions consistent with your goals.
Hospitals typically require copies of directives and proxies. A designated agent or physician liaison can help ensure the documents are properly filed and respected by all medical staff during treatment and emergencies.
Yes. Ideally, you provide copies to your primary physician, hospital, and any caregivers or facilities involved in your care. Digital backups and secure sharing can improve accessibility while protecting privacy.
Costs vary by complexity, but many clients incur modest fees for preparation, review, and execution of advance directives and living wills. Ongoing support, updates, and document storage are often available as part of a flexible plan.
