UNDERSTANDING ADVANCED DIRECTIVES - focus on Power of Attorney

Advance directives are powerful, as they are legal documents a person age 18 or older makes to be sure someone else can voice important healthcare decisions for them if there’s ever a time they might be unconscious or unable to make their own decisions. Documents like these can avoid delays in treatment, or someone else making a decision that the person might not want. And importantly, a person with an advance directive can probably avoid being declared a person in need of guardianship, because they’ve taken steps to put someone into that decision-making role. Hear an attorney explain the types of healthcare advance directives available in Illinois and their legal implications.