Is Your ICE Ready Should You Need Some?

If you had a medical emergency and could not communicate, would you loved ones be able to locate your critical documents at that critical time?

Time is, after all, of the essence.

A recent article in the Ashland Daily Tidings, titled “In the new year, be sure you have your 'ICE' file ready,” suggests that you create a file you name "ICE"—“in case of emergency,” or the “grab-and-go” file. Make sure anyone who needs to have this information knows where it is ... without delay.

So, what should this all-important file contain?

Here is a list to get you started: 

• Advance Health Care Directive;
• Any POLST document (Physician’s Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) or DNR document (Do Not Resusitate);
• A current list of medications; and
• Medical history.

The original article advises that you copy the following onto one page, with the front and back of each item:

• date of birth on a driver’s license or photo ID card; and
• Medicare and/or other insurance card, including any secondary insurance.

In addition, you also want to have a list of all of your insurances, emergency contacts, locations of keys, and the like.

One valuable member of your team is your estate planning attorney.

He or she is invaluable in making sure you have a realistic view of your situation at this point. Make an appointment with your attorney this year to be sure your documents are all current and up to date. 

Avoid a potential family disaster. Make sure your adult children do not discover that you have no legal documents appointing anyone to help with your financial and medical decisions.

Without your ICE planning in place, with all of your potential medical conditions, you could leave your loved ones with an extremely complicated situation. 

Again, work with an estate planning attorney to have all of this ready.

Remember: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” When making your financial, tax and estate plans, do not go it alone. Be sure to engage competent professional counsel.

For more information about estate planning in Overland Park, KS (and throughout the rest of Kansas and Missouri) and to download free tools to help you organize your estate, visit my estate planning website. 

Resource: Ashland (Oregon) Daily Tidings (December 29, 2014) “In the new year, be sure you have your 'ICE' file ready”