Is there any way to choose your own decision makers in advance?
Yes, and this is what incapacity planning is all about for the most part. One of the great things about a revocable living trust as an alternative to a last will is the incapacity preparation component.
You can act as the trustee while you are alive and well, and you can account for possible incapacitation by naming a disability trustee. This individual or entity would be empowered to administer the trust if you ever become unable to do so on your own.
In addition to this course of action, you could execute documents called durable powers of attorney. Most people are aware of the fact that a power of attorney is used to name someone else to act on your behalf in a legally binding manner. A power of attorney that is durable remains intact if the grantor becomes incapacitated.
With a durable power of attorney for property, you can name someone to make financial decisions on your behalf. This would involve property that is not in the trust if you do in fact have a living trust and a disability trustee. You could add a durable power of attorney for health care to empower a medical decision maker.
A durable power of attorney for health care is an advance directive, and there is another one that should be part of any well-constructed estate plan. Doctors can sometimes keep terminal patients alive indefinitely through the utilization of artificial life sustaining methods. You can state your life-support preferences in a living will.