A Physician’s Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (“POLST”) is a medical order that tells emergency health care professionals what to do in case of a medical crisis when you cannot speak for yourself. No agent (or surrogate) is named. The document is prepared by a medical professional and communicates orders for any person who is seriously ill or frail and near the end of life. It gives specific orders for specific circumstances and is designed for use by emergency personnel.

Every week I talk to people who tell me that they’ve been procrastinating about getting their estate plan together. I get it. It took me and my husband years to make the tough decisions and finally get things done and I do this for a living! The most common reasons people finally call to set up an appointment are: An upcoming vacation A scary diagnosis or upcoming surgery A death in the family or that of a friend Birth of a child For my husband and I, we had a vacation planne