A Vancouver Sun article today urges those living with dementia to get living wills. While it’s laudable that public awareness has been raised about the need to plan for future incapacity, I wish the article had mentioned that while living wills are informative, they are not legally binding in BC. In order to grant someone the legal authority to manage your legal and financial affairs and/or to make health care decisions for you should you lose your mental capacity, the requisite documents are an Enduring Power of Attorney and a Representation Agreement. See my March 29th & April 21, 2004 posts below. For a general outline on incapacity and estate planning, see Estate Planning Basics