Are you divorced or in the middle of a divorce proceeding? If so, you should review your estate planning documents, ownership titles on your assets and named beneficiaries.
An Advance Health Care Directive can be oral, but usually is a written legal document. It expresses a person’s wishes about what should be done if they later become incapable of making their own healthcare decisions.
With no family to provide for, many singles may feel that having a plan isn’t a necessity. However, the truth is that estate planning for single individuals is just as important, and sometimes more complex, than planning for married couples.
Guardianships can occur when people fail to plan for disability which then occurs. Maryland has a vested interest in protecting its citizens and what they own.
Without an AHCD document, decisions may be determined in court through a guardianship case if you are no longer able to do so, a scenario most people try to avoid.
In Maryland, a guardianship may become necessary when an individual fails to appropriately institute an estate plan, a Power of Attorney and an Advance Health Care Directive.