Advance Directives & End of Life Planning Denver, Colorado
Meurer & Potter Law Office, Denver, Colorado
No one wants to think about a time when they cannot speak for themselves. But if a sudden illness, accident, or progressive condition leaves you unable to communicate, the medical decisions you care about most—whether to continue life support, whether to resuscitate, whether to donate organs, will be made by someone else. The question is whether that person will know what you want.
At Meurer & Potter, P.C., our Denver attorneys incorporate advance directive provisions directly into your medical power of attorney rather than creating a separate living will document. This integrated approach gives your healthcare agent both the legal authority to act on your behalf and your written instructions about end-of-life care in a single, coordinated document. There is no confusion about which document controls, no risk of conflicting instructions, and no chance that a critical document is missing when your family needs it most. We’ve been helping Colorado families plan for these moments since 1991.
Call 303-991-3544 for a free consultation about living wills and advance directives.
What Advance Directive Provisions Cover
Documenting Your Choices for Care and Quality of Life
The advance directive provisions we build into your medical power of attorney address the specific medical decisions that arise when you are terminally ill, permanently unconscious, or otherwise unable to communicate. These include your preferences regarding CPR and mechanical ventilation—whether you want resuscitation attempted and under what circumstances, artificial nutrition and hydration—whether you want feeding tubes and IV fluids if you cannot eat or drink on your own, dialysis and organ support—whether you want mechanical life-sustaining interventions, palliative care and pain management—your preferences for comfort-focused care when curative treatment is no longer effective, organ and tissue donation—whether you want to be an organ donor and any specific instructions about which organs or tissues you are willing to donate, and disposition of remains—whether you prefer burial or cremation, which funeral home or crematory you prefer, and who is authorized to make these arrangements.
These are deeply personal decisions that should be made thoughtfully, while you are healthy and clearheaded—not during a medical crisis when emotions and pressure from family members can cloud judgment. By documenting your wishes now and integrating them into your medical POA, you ensure that the person you trust most has both the authority and the guidance to honor your preferences.
Why We Integrate Advance Directives Into Your Medical POA
Many law firms draft a separate living will as a standalone document. We don’t, and here’s why. When end-of-life decisions need to be made, families are in crisis. They are at the hospital, overwhelmed, and searching through files for the right paperwork. Having two separate documents, a medical power of attorney that names the decision-maker and a living will that states the preferences, creates unnecessary confusion. Which document controls if they conflict? What if the family can find one but not the other?
By incorporating your advance directive provisions into a single medical power of attorney document, we eliminate these problems. Your healthcare agent has one document that says, “I am authorized to make medical decisions for this person, and here are their specific wishes.” Hospitals and physicians recognize this approach, and it complies fully with Colorado law.
Colorado’s Advance Directive Laws
Colorado’s Medical Treatment Decision Act (C.R.S. § 15-18-101 et seq.) governs advance directives and medical decision-making authority. The state recognizes several tools for documenting your end-of-life preferences, including declarations as to medical treatment (the statutory form many people call a “living will”), medical durable powers of attorney, CPR Directives that provide specific instructions about resuscitation, and Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment (MOST) forms that translate your preferences into physician orders about the level of medical intervention you want.
Our integrated medical power of attorney combines the substantive provisions of Colorado’s statutory declaration with your healthcare agent designation into a single document. We also coordinate with any MOST form your physician has completed to ensure consistency between your legal documents and your medical orders.
Disposition of Last Remains
Relieving Your Family of the Burden of Final Planning Decisions
Colorado law allows you to designate a person to control the disposition of your remains after death. This document specifies whether you want burial or cremation, identifies the funeral home or crematory you prefer, and names the person authorized to make these decisions. Without a written designation, Colorado’s statutory priority list determines who has authority, which can lead to family disputes during an already difficult time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Living Wills and End Of Life Planning
Insights to help you make informed decisions about Living Wills and End Of Life Planning
Our FAQs offer practical guidance about living wills and end-of-life planning. They are written to help you stay informed, not overwhelmed.
An advance directive is a set of legal provisions that document your preferences for medical treatment if you become unable to communicate. At Meurer & Potter, we incorporate these provisions directly into your medical power of attorney so that your healthcare agent has both decision-making authority and your written instructions in a single document.
Not necessarily. Colorado law allows advance directive provisions to be integrated into a medical power of attorney. Our firm uses this integrated approach because it eliminates confusion, reduces the risk of conflicting documents, and ensures your healthcare agent has everything they need in one place.
A medical power of attorney names a person to make healthcare decisions on your behalf. A living will (or advance directive) states your specific treatment preferences. At our firm, we combine both functions into a single medical power of attorney document so your designated agent has clear authority and clear instructions.
A Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment (MOST) form is a Colorado physician order that translates your advance directive preferences into actionable medical instructions. It is completed by your doctor and is recognized by emergency medical personnel. We coordinate your medical POA with any MOST form your physician has completed to ensure consistency.
Yes. You can update your medical power of attorney and its advance directive provisions at any time while you are competent. We recommend reviewing these documents as part of your regular estate plan review to ensure they still reflect your current wishes.
Your designated healthcare agent, your primary care physician, any hospital where you receive regular care, and your estate planning attorney should all have current copies. We also recommend keeping a copy accessible in your home and informing close family members where to find it.