Living Will
Providing written guidance to your Health Care Agent for end-of-life decisions in case of incapacity.
What is a Living Will?
A Living Will is a simple legal document that allows you to give some guidance to your Health Care Agent regarding your wishes in the event of a coma, vegetative state, or other similar condition with a diminished quality of life, no hope of recovery, and the inability to communicate your wishes at that time. Typically a Living Will describes generally which treatments you would want or not want under those circumstances.
Many people have strong feelings about receiving life-prolonging care in end-of-life situations. If you don’t provide such written instruction, then, by law, the Agent must make health care decisions for you according to his or her assessment of your wishes, considering what he or she knows of your religious and moral beliefs. If your Agent does not know what your specific wishes would be, your Agent must make decisions based on what he or she believes is in your best interest.
Why would I want to execute a Living Will?
Your Agent will make decisions for you only after talking with your doctor or health care provider and after fully considering all the options regarding diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of your illness or condition.
Your Agent has the legal right to get any information, including confidential medical information, necessary to make and form decisions for you.