New Hampshire Advance Directive Form
An advance directive allows you to name a trusted person to make health care decisions for you if you are unable to make or communicate those decisions yourself. It can also give your loved ones and medical providers guidance about your wishes in serious medical situations.
For many individuals and families in Peterborough, New Hampshire and elsewhere in the Monadnock Region, this document is an important part of estate planning in New Hampshire. It often works alongside wills, revocable trusts, durable powers of attorney, and other planning documents, but it serves a different purpose. It does not determine inheritance or property distribution, and it is not the same thing as a financial power of attorney.
If you would like more background on how this document fits into a broader plan, you may also wish to review our Estate Planning, Elder Law, and Probate and Trust Administration pages before contacting the office.
New Hampshire Advance Directive Form
An advance directive lets a person name someone to make health care decisions if they cannot speak for themselves. It can also give guidance about end-of-life or serious medical care preferences. It is different from a financial power of attorney and does not control inheritance or property distribution.
Before You Complete It
- Choose a trusted health care agent.
- Speak with that person before naming them.
- Consider naming an alternate agent.
- Think about your wishes for serious illness, incapacity, and end-of-life care.
- Review the form carefully before signing.
- Ask the office if you are unsure how this fits with your estate plan.
After Signing
- Give copies to your health care agent and alternate agent.
- Provide a copy to your primary care doctor or health system.
- Keep a copy with your estate planning documents.
- Tell close family members where the document is stored.
- Review the document after major life changes.
How This Fits Into an Estate Planning Conversation
Many clients raise questions about advance directives at the same time they are thinking about wills, revocable trusts, durable powers of attorney, and planning for incapacity. Even though this document is focused on health care decisions, it is often most useful when considered in the context of the rest of the estate plan.
If you are unsure how a New Hampshire advance directive fits your own circumstances, you do not need to answer that question on your own. The office can review the issue with you at an estate-planning meeting. You are welcome to contact us if you would like to discuss it further.