What is a Personal Directive?

A living document that every adult person should have if you become unable to make personal decisions effecting you that are non-financial such as:

• Where are you going to live
• Whether you are able to work
• Can you enroll in educational programs
• Who you may associate with
• Who can authorize medical attention if you cannot
• If you are in a coma or vegetative state and there is no likelihood that you could regain a higher level of mental capacity – are you to be kept alive – or should life support efforts be terminated

If decisions such as these need to be made on your behalf who would you want to make those decisions?

If you don’t have a Personal Directive and do not have the capacity to make such decisions some interested party may be required to make a Court application for the appointment of a Guardian.  If this happens you would have no say in who would be appointed to make these decisions.  The costs of obtaining a Guardianship Order could exceed $5,000.00 and the process to obtain it could take up to 6 months.  During that period no one would have the authority to make those decisions.

A Personal Directive is a relatively inexpensive document that would resolve those undesirable issues by having the person of your choice, without the high cost and delay empowered to assist you and make those decisions when you cannot.