More than 8,000 Texans are currently hospitalized for COVID-19, and more than 20,000 have died due to complications from the virus.
As these numbers climb, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid is encouraging families to prepare for what might happen if a loved one gets sick.
The nonprofit, which provides free legal services in southwest Texas, has been inundated with calls from spouses, children and other caretakers.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e saying, 鈥榃e have somebody in the hospital and we need to be able to access their medical records or we need to access that person鈥檚 bank account so we can pay the rent for this month,鈥� and they can鈥檛 do it,鈥� Carlos Aguinaga said.
Aguinaga leads the group鈥檚 Wills and Estates team, helping people draw up wills, and fill out medical directives and other key legal documents.
鈥淭he person who鈥檚 ill can鈥檛 sign it because now they鈥檝e reached the point in the progression of their illness where they have maybe lost capacity and they lack the mental wherewithal to execute the documents.鈥�
That鈥檚 why his team is pushing for families to plan in advance for worst case scenarios. They explaining all the legal documents people may need to prepare, which covers everything from who can access your bank account to who gets custody of your remains.
鈥淲hat we don鈥檛 want to do is burden the people that take care of us鈥� by making it more difficult for them to render that care, because they can鈥檛 access medical records... or there is some dispute about where I go live when I get incapacitated,鈥� Aguinaga said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 just a myriad of documents that we can prepare before we need them and they鈥檙e already there and they鈥檙e already valid and it helps people help us.鈥�
Aguinaga hopes his group鈥檚 guide helps families think through tough decisions now, instead of in a moment of crisis.
Mallory Falk is a corps member with , a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Got a tip? Email Mallory at Mfalk@kera.org. You can follow Mallory on Twitter .
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