Indian Hill is a community that deeply values tradition, legacy, and thoughtful planning—especially when it comes to protecting one’s family and ensuring long-term well-being. For many local families, preserving personal dignity and maintaining control over healthcare decisions is just as important as managing financial assets or passing down cherished property.
That’s why having clear, legally sound healthcare directives is an essential part of any comprehensive estate plan. Whether you're preparing for retirement, managing a chronic illness, or simply planning ahead, these documents give you the power to communicate your medical preferences and appoint someone you trust to advocate for your care.
Healthcare directives are legal documents that outline your medical care preferences and designate someone to make healthcare decisions on your behalf if you’re unable to do so. In Ohio, these advance directives are an important part of estate planning and can help ensure that your healthcare wishes are honored—especially in a medical emergency or during serious illness.
A Living Will is a written statement that outlines your specific wishes for end-of-life medical treatment. It becomes effective only if you are permanently unconscious or terminally ill and unable to communicate.
In your living will, you can state whether you do or do not want:
This document helps your loved ones and healthcare providers make clear, informed choices that reflect your values—without leaving them to guess.
A Healthcare Power of Attorney allows you to appoint a trusted person—called your healthcare agent—to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are unable to speak for yourself. This document can be broad or specific and applies in many more situations than a living will, including:
Your agent can speak with doctors, review medical records, and authorize or refuse treatments based on your known preferences.
While both documents are forms of healthcare directives, they serve distinct but complementary purposes:
At KBH, we ensure your healthcare directives are customized, properly executed, and coordinated with your other estate planning tools—so your care is in trusted hands, no matter what the future holds.
Whether due to illness, surgery, or an unexpected medical emergency, there may come a time when you're unable to communicate your preferences. A properly executed healthcare directive ensures that:
With a living will and healthcare power of attorney in place, your voice is always part of the conversation—even when you can’t speak for yourself.
When family members are unsure of what to do, medical decisions can become confusing and emotionally painful. A healthcare directive removes the guesswork by providing clear instructions and appointing a trusted healthcare agent.
This guidance helps your loved ones:
Unfortunately, high-stress medical situations can bring out conflict—especially when multiple family members have different ideas about what “you would have wanted.” A legally valid healthcare directive minimizes this risk by clearly stating:
By taking the time to create these documents now, you can help prevent confusion, guilt, and disagreements later.
While everyone should have a healthcare directive, it's especially important if you:
In Indian Hill, where many residents are focused on long-term planning and personal dignity, healthcare directives are a critical part of your legacy of care.
Your directive can specify which life-sustaining treatments you would accept or decline if you are terminally ill or permanently unconscious. This may include:
Clarifying your preferences ahead of time empowers your loved ones and medical team to honor your choices without hesitation.
Your healthcare directive can reflect your spiritual, cultural, or ethical values related to end-of-life care. This may include:
We’ll help you express these wishes clearly so that your care respects what matters most to you.
You can also use your healthcare directive to state whether you wish to be an organ or tissue donor, and under what conditions. Including these instructions can:
Naming the right healthcare power of attorney is one of the most important decisions you'll make. Your agent should be:
You should also consider naming one or more alternate agents in case your primary agent is unavailable.
Your directive can provide guidance or limitations on how your agent should act, such as:
This clarity ensures your agent is empowered, not burdened, and that they act confidently on your behalf.
Don’t wait for a crisis to make your wishes known. A well-crafted healthcare directive is one of the most powerful tools you can have to protect your dignity, ease the burden on your loved ones, and ensure your values guide your care—no matter what the future holds.
At Keller, Barrett & Higgins, we help individuals and families in Indian Hill create healthcare directives with the clarity, legal strength, and personal sensitivity they deserve. Whether you're planning ahead for retirement, managing a health condition, or updating an outdated directive, our team is here to guide you with compassion and experience.
📞 Call us today at (513) 351-6058 📩 Or contact us online to schedule your private consultation.
Make your voice heard. Let KBH help you plan with confidence and peace of mind.