The most prominent aspect of life that is often avoided by most people is prior end-of-life planning. The problem with this is that it will be hard on the people concerned if they do not have a clue as to what they want and when that time comes. Actually, a living will is one of the most powerful tools that can be used to ensure your wishes are carried out if it is impossible to inform anyone of your desires. In this guide, you will find out all you want to know regarding a will, what it is, why it matters, and how to make one.
What Is a Living Will?
This refers to a legal document whereby a person can state in advance his or her wishes concerning medical treatment if he or she loses the capacity to decide on his or her own. A will become important when one is incapacitated by illness, injury, or old age. It allows one to indicate what kind of treatment they want or refuse so that their wishes are carried out.
Differences between a Living Will from Other Documents
It is useful to note that it is an alternative term for a different document than a last will. A last will works with your planning for the distribution following your death, whereas a living will address your needs or preferences regarding your medical care while you are still alive. Another type of document is a medical power of attorney, which relates closely to wills and involves allowing you to appoint a specific person to make decisions concerning your healthcare in your place. Both these types of documentation are helpful for end-of-life planning but serve two distinct purposes.
Why You Need a Living Will
Living will help not only you but also your family and other medical people involved. In some way, it eliminates the confusion for them. Otherwise, your family members have to decide what’s best for you based on certain principles that can be painful to deal with. Furthermore, healthcare providers are baffled about what actions to perform in case your wishes have not been put on paper.
Probably the most significant advantage of having it is that it relieves your family from the emotional and decision-making burden imposed by this. You know already that end-of-life situations are always stressful, and family members don’t hesitate to argue about what you might have wanted. A will eliminates such uncertainty, which makes it clear what you have in mind, hence lessening the tension during trying times.
What You Should Contain in Your Living Will
While completing a living will, he must ensure that he includes the right elements that would make his wishes clear. Even though the details would differ with the states, the following are some of the essentials.
Medical treatment preferences
The primary aim of this is to outline your desire for medical treatments. This can be the directive you would wish on life support measures, for instance, artificial ventilation, dialysis, and resuscitation. You may also wish to include if you want or do not want to receive pain control that hastens death or abandon treatments that potentially extend life if the quality of the rest of life would be highly compromised.
Organ donation
Apart from the medical treatments available, you can write down your preferences regarding organ donation on your will. Here, if you want organs or tissues to be donated after your death, you specify it here. You might say what specific organs you are willing to donate, or you may specifically refuse to become an organ or tissue donor at all.
When to Update Your Living Will
You should update your will in case you experience any dramatic change in health or personal situation. For instance, for someone diagnosed with a terminal illness, their wishes or preferences may change towards life-supportive treatments. Moreover, in the event of a move to another state, one must update their will to comply with the prevailing state’s laws.
How to Update
If your will needs to be amended, don’t forget to get the right modifications under the law. Often that will mean drafting a new form that better aligns with your true wishes now and obtaining their signatures and witnesses all over again. Once you’ve made those changes, be sure to communicate the new copies of it to all parties who might be affected by those changes.
How to Discuss Your Wishes
While signing this, is important, it’s equally important that you discuss your wants with your family. Discussing end-of-life care isn’t easy for many of us; however, an honest discussion can prevent confusion down the line and ensure that everyone adheres to your wishes.
Talking to Your Family
Discussion of your will may be an appropriate time to be crystal clear on what you want, but it is often what makes you choose certain decisions. It can also become an avenue by which you answer questions they may have regarding your preferences. The clearer the message or the better understanding of your wishes is, the more confidence that you can give them in doing it properly when need be.
Involvement of Healthcare Providers
In addition to discussing your will with your family, you must discuss your medical providers as well to keep them updated in regards to your will and any other preferences that you may have. It is the doctors who are going to take care of you, so they must be presented with this document and understand how to act according to your wishes.
Conclusion
A living will, as a plan for what will occur near the end of your life, virtually assures that the medical wishes of your choice are implemented at the time of incapacity to communicate to others what your wishes are. It brings peace to both yourself and your loved ones about what will occur in the future. Keep reviewing your will, keeping your loved ones and healthcare providers abreast, and make the appropriate changes as needed to reflect changes in your preferences or situations.
