Living Wills

No one can foresee the problems that may arise should you become incapacitated and not able to communicate your thoughts or wishes. However, you can avoid unforeseen problems and negative consequences by creating a Living Wills.

Everyone should have a Living Will. With a Living Will you specify how you wish to be treated in case you are unable to make your own wishes known. Do you want to be kept on life support? Who do you want making that decision if you are unable to communicate? Questions like these are addressed in a living will so your family or the hospital does not make those decisions on your behalf.

When you do select someone to act on your behalf, they must meet the legal criteria in your state, be willing to speak up for you, be able to act on your preferences and not those of others, and be willing to make the hard decisions. They should also be someone you trust without hesitation who can also handle the conflicting opinions that usually occur between family members.

When you create a Living Wills you ensure that your desires will be carried out without court involvement that can be costly and stressful for your family. If you do become incapacitated and you do not have a Living Will, your family or your Doctors must bear the responsibility of deciding what should happen to you.

It is important that you set up the Living Will properly, as different states have different laws in dealing with such matters. A Living Will can be used in conjunction with a Health Care Power of Attorney to provide you with an Advanced Health Care Directive.

However sad, an example of when a Living Will would be used is if you become brain dead, you can state in your Living Will that you wish to receive or not to receive life support. A Living Will provides your medical team with instructions for how to carry out your wishes should you become incapacitated. There is a nice web site where you can receive a lot of good information to learn about Living Wills at www.livingwills4u.com

Remember, An Advanced Health Care Directive including a Living Will and a Health Care Power of Attorney are very important legal document that an attorney should always review.