Life care and estate planning is important for every Marylander. Regardless of income, wealth or assets, you have the right to make decisions about how your health care and financial affairs will be handled if you lose the capacity to make your own decisions.
You also have the right to decide who should receive your personal belongings and property after you die. Planning for these things can feel uncomfortable, but doing so now can ease the burden on your family an ensure that your wishes are honored. If you do not make these decisions ahead of time, Maryland law may determine what happens instead, and it may not reflect your wishes.
Common Life Care and Estate Planning Documents
Health Care and Life Planning
- Advance Directive (also called a Living Will): States your medical care preferences if you cannot communicate them yourself.
- Health Care Power of Attorney: Appoints someone to make medical decisions for you.
- Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST): A medical order completed with your doctor that tells health providers what treatments you want or do not want.
- Standby Guardian Designations: Lets you name someone to care for your minor child if you become unable to do so.
Financial and Estate Planning
- Financial Power of Attorney: Authorizes someone to manage your finances if you cannot.
- Last Will and Testament: Explains how you want your property distributed after your death.
- Trust: Allows you to manage and distribute property during your life or after death.
Consider having at least the following essential documents:
- Advance Directive
- Health Care Power of Attorney
- Financial Power of Attorney
- Last Will and Testament
Talk to your doctor about completing a MOLST form if you do not want CPR or other life support measures because of your current medical condition. For legal documents like wills or powers of attorney, consult an attorney to ensure your documents meet Maryland’s legal requirements.
This article was adapted from the Life and Health Planning Handbook created by the Life and Health Planning Committee of the Maryland Attorney General's Covid-19 Access to Justice Taskforce.