Cona Elder Law

Heart Health: Planning for the Unexpected

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February is Heart Health Month, a time to focus on heart disease, stroke and the steps we can take to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) — keeping ourselves and our loved ones healthy. As Co-Chair of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Campaign on Long Island, I am personally invested in raising funds and awareness to prevent CVD and promoting women’s health. 

Working hand in hand with heart health is your legal health and, more specifically, the health of your Estate Plan.  The fact that heart attack and stroke can happen to anyone at any age means it is never too early to get your legal affairs in order. Further, it is critical that you update your estate plan throughout the years.

Every adult (over age 18) should have a Last Will and Testament so that your estate assets can be passed to your beneficiaries pursuant to your wishes. Without a Will, the state laws of intestacy determine how your assets will be distributed, which may not be what you want. All adults should also have Advance Directives. A Power of Attorney is a legal document wherein you name an agent(s) to handle your financial affairs, such as banking, real estate transactions, asset protection planning, and more, should you become unable to do so yourself. A Health Care Proxy is a document wherein you designate someone to make medical decisions and communicate with medical providers on your behalf should you be unable to do so. A Living Will is a document wherein you state your wishes regarding end-of-life care, such as artificial nutrition and hydration, pain management, and administration of CPR. By stating your wishes in this document, your loved ones do not need to make these extremely difficult decisions for you. Instead, they simply carry out your stated wishes.

Just as you prioritize your physical health with regular visits to your doctor, it’s equally important to schedule regular “legal health check-ups” with your elder law and estate planning attorney. These check-ups ensure your estate plan still reflects your wishes, accommodates any changes in your life circumstances as well as in the lives of your beneficiaries (e.g. births, deaths, divorces, significant changes in your health), and adjusts for any changes in assets or changes in the law, such as the changing estate tax exemption amounts.

When you take control of your heart health and your legal health, the sky’s the limit! Join us on February 27 at the Crest Hollow Country Club to celebrate the strides we have made and support the work still to be done! Visit Heart.org/GoRedLI to learn more.

Jennifer B. Cona, Esq. is the Founder and Managing Partner of Cona Elder Law, an award-winning law firm concentrating in the areas of elder law, estate planning, estate administration and litigation, and health care law.  The firm has been ranked the #1 Elder Law Firm by Long Island Business News for eight consecutive years.  For additional information, contact us at elder@conalaw.com (631.390.5000)

 

This article was originally featured in Long Island Press’s February Power of Your Attorney

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