Parents, Don’t Delay! Your College Age Children Must Have A Health Care Proxy

Imagine this scenario:  You are the parent of a college student. Your telephone rings one evening and on the other end is your child’s roommate telling you that your child was just rushed to the emergency room. You call the hospital for information and identify yourself as the parent. The hospital advises you that because your child is 18, they cannot provide you with any information. 

It is at that moment that you realize that you have as much of a chance of getting healthcare information about a stranger as you do your own child. 

Although this is the last thing a family wants to think about when preparing a child for college or helping a young person after college, the risk is undeniable. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hundreds of thousands of young adults are hospitalized each year with catastrophic injuries. 

The question is: Do you want to be the first phone call or the last? A properly executed health care proxy offers one less worry for parents.

What You Should Do:

Contact our office  to schedule your appointment before your child returns to college this fall. If drafted correctly, the health care proxy will give parents authority to communicate with medical professionals, make health care decisions if your child is unable to do so and access your child’s medical records. Cona Elder Law will prepare a Health Care Proxy with and for your child in one appointment.

Our Elder Law and Estate Planning attorneys are always available to address your questions and concerns. Call us at 631.390.5000 or  click here.