• Durable Powers of Attorney should include a summary of your wishes on limits to preserving or extending
life. Those responsible for monitoring and delivering your health care can then act in accordance with your
wishes should you become physically or mentally unable to make your own medical decisions.
This information should be in the medical file kept by your doctor and in your hospital record. Always
carry in your wallet a medical emergency information card containing all vital information about codes,
diagnoses and any medications you take. In some states, the code status request can be included on the driver's
license organ donor card.
Planning Tools A book by Elmo A. Petterle called Getting Your Affairs in Order (Legacy of Love) (Petterle Publications, 3 Greenside Way, San Rafael, CA 94901) is a practical guide on how you can make life easier for the people you leave behind. Its objective is to approach the problem of potential death with compassion and sensitivity. The book was designed for everyone—young, old, rich, poor, married, single, healthy and ill.
It was not written to scare you into thinking that your time is running out because of age or any other reason. It is simply a strategic planning tool, a workbook you fill in yourself. It deals with realities in a very practical and organized way so that your survivors know what they need to know and are properly instructed and prepared for what has to be done.
• The book introduces you to the material you will be working on, including how to start planning for your
beneficiaries. It gives advice on will preparations, on what you have to do, what the first priorities are and
