What's the worst that could happen as your child goes off to
college? Some bad grades? Homesick? Hard to make friends? Nothing to eat
besides breakfast bars?
Not even close.
What if a texting car driver isn't paying attention and runs
down your daughter walking though a crosswalk?
What if, in this new communal lifestyle, your son picks up
some super-serious flu bug or a virulent and fast-acting form of meningitis?
Pretty awful.
But consider: What happens if your son or daughter is
incapacitated by those issues or any of dozens of possible medical emergencies
that happen on campus every year.
The days of making medical decisions for your 12 year old at
the pediatrician's office are over. Your 18-year-old child is considered an
adult in almost every state. Do not send your pride-and-joy off to college without having prepared a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare (also called
a Healthcare Proxy in some jurisdictions). If your daughter instead says,
"Aw, mom, don't worry. I will be fine," it is your job to convince
your child this is no joke, that she is now considered an adult who can vote,
marry and serve in the military--and, as an adult, she has to do the
intelligent thing and cover the rare contingency that this paperwork might save
her life. A phone call home is not a substitute when time is critical.
In addition to a Healthcare POA, there is a bit more
paperwork to be done. A Living Will sets down your child's wishes about life
support and other medical interventions and a HIPAA Release waives strict
rights of privacy, allowing the designated party to make critical decisions.
Without this instrument, the parents of an incapacitated child cannot even find
out what treatments and medications are being given.
Healthcare directives for your child can be prepared by the
attorney who created your estate, Power of Attorney for Healthcare and Power of
Attorney for Property. Do not put this off; a minimal investment and a few minutes of time now is vastly
better than a crisis in which you can only observe, not act in your child's best
interests.
-Mike Ryan
