Levy Zavet Lawyers
By Jeff Levy, March 22nd, 2023
Frequently Asked Questions about Advance Directives, Living Wills, and Powers of Attorney for Personal Care
If you already have a will, chances are you understand how important this legal document is for expressing your final wish and relieving your loved ones of the burden of deciding what to do with your final estate.
But do your loved ones know your wishes should you become incapacitated?
A living will – sometimes called an advance directive – is a legal document that provides this instruction. A Power of Attorney for Personal Care designates who you would like to decide on your behalf should you become unable to make those decisions yourself. While a living will should also specify that person, it further provides directives as to your wishes and how decisions should be made.
In Canada, when you have a living will, you can appoint a caregiver who can make decisions regarding your personal and medical care should you become unable to make those decisions yourself.
Every Canadian adult should have a living will because it lets your loved ones know your wishes. Should you become incapacitated, making decisions without clear directions from you can be extremely difficult. It may cause your loved ones to live with guilt, wondering if their choices were right. But you can take action now to relieve them of that burden.
Jeff Levy, Levy Zavet, Toronto
