A Living Will is used to specify the degree of medical
treatment that you would want should you become terminally ill or
permanently unconscious. It helps make your health care wishes
clear to your family, friends and doctors — helping to ensure
that those wishes are carried out. In addition, it eases the
burden on your loved ones who might otherwise have to make serious
decisions for you.
Although a Living Will can be drawn up without the help
of a lawyer, your wishes still need to be authorized. You can do
this by naming a health care proxy, which is a person you
authorize to make decisions regarding your treatment. You also may
grant a durable power of attorney to someone who, like the proxy,
then has the power to make the health care decisions you want.
If you feel strongly about the kind of medical care you
would or wouldn't want to receive should you fall gravely
ill, you should draft a Living Will as soon as possible. Court
cases involving a patient's right to live or die often
involve younger people, not the elderly.
To get started, put your wishes on paper. If you are
already working with a lawyer to draft a Will regarding your
estate, you should consider drafting a Living Will at the same time.
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