Healthcare Directives are valuable to people in all walks of life. As you read this article, consider obtaining one for yourself.A Healthcare Directive is a tool to designate a health care agent, or someone to make health care decisions on your behalf. It goes into effect upon your inability to make or communicate health care decisions. If you fail to appoint someone to fill this role, the court will appoint a guardian, which may create a costly legal process. If you have Healthcare Directive, you are able to choose the person who will determine what treatments and health care you will receive, including end-of-life or palliative care decisions. Your health care agent makes surrogate decisions, which means that they step in your shoes and make the decisions that you would make on your own if you were able to do so.Ideally, surrogate decisions should be based on your input and the specific preferences you communicated before any loss of decision-making capacity. It should be based on a prior understanding your health care preferences and what you would want under the circumstances. Healthcare Directives are intensely personal documents. When thinking about creating your own, consider:Your values and how they may be reflected in your health care;Your priorities;What life means to you personally; andHow important quality of life is to you.Are there certain conditions that are worse than death to you? Would you undergo a risky procedure if it had a low chance of survival? What if that same procedure had a high chance of survival but would permanently lower your quality of life? How long would you like to be on life support? Its never fun to think about these things, but by selecting a health care agent and informing them of your preferences, you are preparing for the worst-case scenario and ensuring that your wishes will be followed. Clearly, the consequences of having or not having a Healthcare Directive can be huge, which is why we so strongly advocate that everyone, regardless of age or health, have one in their estate plan. Please dont leave your relatives to fumble in the dark if the unthinkable happens and you are unable to make your own health care decisions. Again, while an Healthcare Directive will be helpful to you in the future, you might have an elderly relative who is in need of one right now. So, whether you need one for yourself or for a loved one, contact us today at (385)334-4030 or send an email to info@skvlegal.com to set up your free consultation to determine your specific needs.

Today, we're discussing how to choose between appointing a guardian or conservator. When deciding what kind of protection you need in an aide, there are many things to consider, including:1. What is your personal capacity to care for yourself?2. What areas of life do you need supervision over? Healthcare? Daily maintenance? Or, do you only need help safeguarding finances?3. How extensive is your estate?4. What is the difference between a guardian and a conservator?5. What combination of conservator/guardian would you most benefit from? Guardian only? Conservator only? Or both?Differences Between Guardians and Conservators A guardian is a person (or an institution) who is given authority to act on behalf of a protected person as though they were that person. A guardian can be given a full guardianship over all aspects of your life, or authorities limited to certain areas such as health care, education, or finances. A conservator is given authority only over your finances. Like a guardian, a conservator must be appointed by a court order. However, unlike a guardian, a conservator cannot make personal decisions for you. Conservators DutiesOnce appointed, a conservator becomes the trustee of your estate, which includes income (wages, social security, annuities), real property (a house, other buildings, and land), as well as stocks, bonds, retirement funds, etc. In fact, once appointed, and unless specifically limited, a conservator has all of the authority given by law to conservators, additional authority given to trustees, and the authority of the protected person, except the power to make or change a will. This amounts to a lot of power. Thus, when acting on your behalf, a conservator must act as a prudent investor would. A conservators duties and powers include:Managing your incomeContinuing or participating in the operation of your business or enterprises Making necessary estate paymentsOrganizing and protecting your assetsAppraising and safeguarding your propertyMaking prudent investmentsPaying or contesting any claims against the estateRegularly reporting to the courtThe list above is by no means exhaustive. Because a conservator does have so much power, their authorities and responsibilities are highly regulated. An in depth conversation about these powers is outside of the scope of this blog post, but must be understood and tailored to your specific needs in order to best serve them. Deciding What Is Best For YouIf your are able to care for yourself in every area other than their finances, you might only need a conservator. If you need help in other areas of their life, you probably need a guardian. If your capacity to care for yourself is diminished and you have an extensive estate, you might need both a guardian and a conservator. We understand that deciding how to best plan for your future might seem complicated and daunting. We can help you balance the choices that you have with your needs. Contact us today. 385.334.4030email@skvlegal.com skvlegal.com/book-online

Healthy lifestyles are usually associated with physiological aspects, such as eating a proper diet and exercising. However, taking care of your cognitive health should also be a priority. The human brain is a powerful organ, and it can decline or thrive with your activities across a lifetime. To improve your cognitive health at any age, consider gardening as a resource. Indeed, this hobby has many health benefits.Breaking Down the Science of Cognitive Health and GardeningIn a world of technology, a simple garden pulls you into the real world. That heightened sense of reality through social media, images and videos can put anyone on edge, especially senior citizens and children.By starting a garden, there are no shortcuts to growing plants. They'll grow at their own pace. As a result, you appreciate the world around you. Without a doubt, the anticipation of waiting for a flower to bloom encourages you to learn more about plants and their growth cycles.Additionally, physically working in a garden improves cognitive health because of the ample oxygen. For example, plants take in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen. Because there's a concentrated amount of oxygen in any garden, your body will inhale it. Scientific data over the years has shown that increased oxygen intake improves brain functionality.Remarkably, gardening is also associated with higher serotonin levels. The body generates this feel-good hormone when it's exposed to a bacteria found in everyday soil called Mycobacterium vaccae. Scientists continue to research the relationship between good microbes and the human body. Currently, there's research being performed on commercial soils to generate better and larger crop volumes, such as work at Microbial Insights. By understanding the soil's elemental components and microbe communities, then food volumes can be controlled and improved for future cities.Understanding Gardening's Benefits for SeniorsMany seniors have limited mobility, which creates a sedentary lifestyle. As a result, blood flow to the brain isn't as rich as before. By starting a garden, seniors get moving. For example, they till the soil, add seeds to the ground and water the area. Although these actions aren't aerobic by nature, they're still movements that bring blood to the brain for cognitive health.Inevitably, challenges will arise. Seeds may not germinate, flowers succumb to disease and other issues may haunt the garden. These challenges are beneficial for seniors. For example, they encourage problem-solving techniques to bring the garden back to life. By making people think about their hobbies, their cognitive health improves.Simultaneously, seniors also learn about acceptance. Life is full of challenges that might be won or lost. Indeed, life is more about dealing with chaos than controlling it. With even the best tools on hand, gardens will have imperfections. Accepting the challenges and trying to do better allows seniors to accept some losses and celebrate those small victories.Starting Your GardenThe best way to start your garden is by beginning small. Purchase some potting soil and gardening pots, for instance. Make sure the pots have drainage holes, too. Carefully add soil and preferred seeds to the pots. Next, thoroughly water them. As a result, you have the beginning of a simple garden.Alternatively, consider purchasing seedlings so that you have an established plant at first. As the seedlings grow, you can repot them or add them to a backyard garden. Whether you start with seeds or seedlings, the gardening benefits can help the mind.Most importantly, always start with rich soil. Most potting soil brands come with the right mix of nutrients. Avoid tamping the soil down as you create a garden, too. Roots require air pockets to spread and absorb the gas elements.As seniors work with their desired plants, they'll find out that some like more water than others. For example, overwatering or underwatering creates yellow leaves in most plant species. Experimenting with watering levels will reduce stress on the plants and lead to vigorous growth.With retirement opening up many days of free time, seniors have a chance to truly take on a hobby and stick with it. Suggest gardening to your loved one today. Beginning with just a single potted plant can grow into a huge garden in the backyard.