b'Life with MSDiscussing your wishes into the name of the trust and notify yourWith regard to advanced directives (non- mortgage company.testamentary documents), it is imperative to For MS patients in particular, takingdiscuss what your wishes are, and who you steps to prepare both testamentary andhave selected to carry them out. All of your nontestamentary documents will alleviatetreating physicians should have a copy of stress and concern as you will be secure in theyour living will as well as healthcare power of knowledge that your wishes will be carried out.attorney. If your family holds religious beliefs In addition to hiring an attorney who specializesthat would not allow the donation of organs, in estate planning, there are other resourcesit is wise to have a conversation with your availabletoassistwiththepreparationoffamily so that they are aware of your wishes. these important documents. Many organizationsYou may also want to give a copy of your oer free advance directive forms, such asdurable power of attorney to your nancial www.agingwithdiginity.org and www.aarp.org.institutions so that there is no delay should Most jurisdictions oer free or reduced-feeyou need it.will preparation services through legal aid orFor testamentary documents, it is not state bar associations. necessary to share your wishes, but there are Admittedly, thinking about ones ownlimited circumstances in which it is advisable. incapacitation or death is not pleasant. We areFor example, if you were a single mother with necessarily forced to consider these mattersyoung children who has MS, it would be wiseto communicate with the person to whom sooner than many of our non-MS peers, butyou have assigned the care of your children our awareness of our mortality will ultimatelyin advance of your passing. Further, in the case allow us to plan better and protect ourselvesof a trust, you may need to re-title property and our families.Learn more about estate planning from our recent teleconference, Everything You Wantedto Know About Estate Planning but Were Afraid to Ask: msfocus.us/EstatePlanningmsfocusmagazine.org 26'