Do I Need a Living Will?

A living will is quite different from a traditional will. It is actually a directive for your healthcare in the event you become incapacitated. You can state your wishes if you are ever in a vegetative state or if you develop a terminal illness. More importantly, here are the reasons you should complete a living will form as soon as possible.

Jasper L. Edwards

Firstly, what is a living will? A living will is quite different from a traditional will. It is actually a directive for your healthcare in the event you become incapacitated. It is intended to state your wishes if you are ever in a vegetative state or if you develop a terminal illness. Your doctors will refer to the document to establish what kind of care and intervention you want done. For instance, most terminally ill patients have a do not resuscitate (DNR) clause in their living will. On the other hand, you may want resuscitated. Some prefer that once they are beyond medical help, that doctors no longer intervene. Others refuse any form of CPR or other resuscitation measures performed on them. 

The good thing about a living will form is that you can make these kinds of decisions ahead of time. The world we live in today is highly unpredictable. As a result, it’s important that we try to make a living will before it’s too late. It's the only way your wishes can be respected in case you don’t have the ability to communicate. In addition, a living will enables your loved ones to honor your wishes in case there is a serious medical emergency. This will help to alleviate some of their guilt depending on any decisions they make.

 Reasons why you should draft a living will

It is unfortunate, but there might come a time when you are not able to speak for yourself. It could be the result of an incapacitating disease or a terrible accident. 

Being incapacitated means that you won’t be able to make any decisions or enter into a legal contract. As a result, your wishes won’t be vocalized adequately. A huge number of people have ended up in such a state because of dementia or Alzheimers Disease. In addition, people in coma are still alive but they cannot enter into legal contracts. This is one of the main reasons why you should prepare a living will. It will clearly outline your wishes in case you end up in such a state. 

If you do not have a living will, you could leave your loved ones to deal with some very difficult situations. If they don’t know what to do, they could end up feeling guilty their whole lives. 

A living will cannot cover every possible scenario. As a result, you should consider bestowing your health care proxy with a medical power of attorney. He or she will interpret your wishes regarding various aspects of your care that are not described in your living will. If you've read down to this point, you may want to take a look at a Living Will form.

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