Leaving life on your terms

Death and taxes…these are two things that can’t be avoided no matter how much we dislike having to deal with them. While you can’t control the tax base, new assessments and the like, you can give testimony on how you or a loved one would like to leave this earth by preparing thoughtful advance directives and assigning powers of attorney.

Jo Kline Cebuhar, JD, has written a guide, Last things first, just in case…, to help people navigate and understand the rights and responsibilities of healthcare decision making. According to Cebuhar, “You’ll find the process is simple and inexpensive but the payoff [relieving loved ones of decision making at a stressful time] is huge.”

Cebuhar's manual on the rights and responsibilities for end-of-life decision making is written in clear, non-lawyer language that is easy to understand.

Why are these documents important? It’s been more than seven years since Terry Schiavo dominated the headlines in 2005. In 1990, she slipped into a vegetative state and that was the beginning of the legal battles for her right to die.

It doesn’t matter if you’re 30 or 80 years old, futures can change in an instant as it did for Terry. Make sure that those you love and those who love you have a clear indication on how you want to leave this world.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Beginning at 12 am on Friday and ending at 12 pm on Saturday (July 27 and 28), Last things first, just in case… will be available as a free Kindle version download at Amazon.com. If you don’t have a Kindle, a free Kindle app is available to use on other devices.

Please take a few minutes to review the book when you’re done! The author will appreciate your comments and insights.

Sandra Hoban

Sandra Hoban was on I Advance Senior Care / Long-Term Living’s editorial staff for 17 years. She is one of the country’s longest-serving senior care journalists. Before joining Long-Term Living, she was a member of the promotions department at Advanstar Communications. In addition to her editorial experience, Sandi has served past roles in print and broadcast advertising as a traffic and talent coordinator.