Have you ever heard of a ‘living will,’ also called an advance health care directive?
A living will is a will that applies while you’re still alive. If you’re in a situation where you’re terminally ill, irreversibly injured, or rendered unconscious and unable to communicate, then your living will would dictate the length of time that you would remain on life support before being taken off.
This period is entirely up to you, but the purpose of a living will is to put your wishes on the matter into writing so that your family members know what to do should the time come. After the period of time you put in your living will, if there’s no observable improvement to your health, then your family members can take you off life support.
It’s nice to clarify these wishes for your family in advance—you can imagine how family members might differ on such a serious matter as this. By deciding for yourself how much time on life support is sufficient, you eliminate the possibility of conflict.
If you have any questions about living wills or estate planning in general, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to answer them for you.
The purpose of a living will is to put your wishes on the matter into writing so that your family know what to do should the time come.
If you have any questions about estate planning, please feel free to reach out to me. I’d be happy to provide you with further information.