What are your horror stories for not having a will, power of attorney, and advance medical directive?

I'm a Nursing Home Administrator I've seen alot of negative things happen to families because they don't have advanced directives or will's or even power of attorney's. We'll start with advanced directives. If a patient hadn't declared what they want then the medical community will do normal protocol. Ex. If a patient has a heart attack, the medical team with revive them to the best of their ability even if it results in brain damage and the patient living as a vegetable or with horrible damages. The process of reviving normally includes cracking the rib cage and a very painful recovery with time in rehab. If the patient ends up as a vegetable with out a living will, they will remain on life support until they die or the doctor decides to cut the cord. Once the patient as passed away the state takes all their assets instead of the family with out a will. And if there is someone you don't want to lay claim to anything... you have no way of dictating that with out a will. The advanced directives let's you choose if you want to be brought back during certain situations like respiratory arrest vs. cardiac arrest. The Living will then deals with the after math of that in that you can designate someone to make decisions for you ONLY WHEN YOU ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO MAKE THEM YOURSELF. Having a Power of Attorney or Living will doesn't mean you sign over your right all it means is that if you are ever unable to make decisions (ex, Alzheimer's, acoma etc...) then someone you trust can make the decisions you would want to have made. Their job is to carry out your wishes not their own. The will is the icing on the cake, it lays out what you want to happen to your things once you are gone. That way it doesn't go to the state first for review, your lawyer has set out the terms and what goes where. If you don't care you can simply put, split my assets evenly between my children. It's simple. I'm 26 and I have a will, I have a power of attorney and advanced directives. It's never too early. I have patients from 24-104... everyone should make their wishes known and if you ever change your mind, you can change all of those things as well.