Living Wills

A living will is a brief declaration or statement that a person may make indicating their desire that certain medical treatment be either withheld or withdrawn under certain circumstances. Living wills are different from a last will and testament that outlines an executor or leaves your belongings to your loved ones, a living will describes the type of medical care you would (or would not) like to receive in case you cannot speak for yourself. This document is also often combined with a durable power of attorney document that names a person you wish to make health care decisions on your behalf if you cannot do so, and helps ensure that your wishes are carried out in emergencies

You may feel uncomfortable discussing these topics with your loved ones, especially if you are currently in good health, but this document is important in case the unforeseen happens. In many cases, there are not easy and obvious choices to be made; outlining your wishes ahead of time can make difficult situations more bearable, especially for your loved ones being faced with hard decisions.

Advance Directives

For persons who desire to give instructions for their health care that exceed the limitations of the living will statute, there is an alternative, commonly referred to as “advance directives.” An advance directive is an instruction by a patient as to the withholding or withdrawing of certain medical treatment in advance of the patient suffering a condition rendering the patient unable to refuse such treatment.