Turning 18 means more than earning the right to vote and serve on a jury. Being a legal adult comes with other responsibilities and other obligations. Some teenagers jump straight to buying lottery tickets and may be unaware of the serious changes or their implications.  

While a birthday should always start with cake, when a child turns 18, one gift a parent/guardian can offer is paperwork. Three forms can soften the transition from childhood, particularly when the newly minted adult will be away from home, including at college.

1)    HIPPA Authorization 

When a child turns 18 caregivers lose the right to not only make decision about healthcare but also to access any information. If a student grows ill at school and does not have a signed HIPPA authorization, the experienced adults in their lives will not be able to get any details from healthcare providers. This can be especially concerning if a child is unavailable to offer updates on their own. Signing a HIPPA authorization form means a child can still have the assistance of the adults in their lives should a health issue occur. Here is a link for a standardized form, customizable by state: https://eforms.com/release/medical-hipaa/

2)    Advance Medical Directive/Living Will

On a birthday, life and the future are often the focus, so it can feel very strange to have to talk about any end-of-life decisions. However, adults, no matter how young, must also make adult decisions. Accidents and illnesses can happen to anyone, and, for newly minted adults to have a say in their life and future, putting together an advanced medical directive means that no matter what, their wishes will be respected. This is a link that provides advance directives by state: https://www.caringinfo.org/planning/advance-directives/by-state/

3)    Power of Attorney

A power of attorney, like the advanced medical directive, means that should a decision need to be made regarding financial matters, and the newly minted adult is unable to make it themselves, they have already had a say in who gets to make choices for them in specific situations. 

For parents and students, the transition to adulthood can bring the opportunity to discuss and decide important information about their future, their health, and the help we all need even after the law says we are adults.