Living Wills: What They Are and Frequently Asked Questions

A living will is a more unknown, but no less important, type of will at your disposal. It is a legal document that outlines to your doctors or those in charge of your car how you want to be treated if you are not able to make your own decisions about emergency procedures and treatment. In this will, you can state your wishes regarding certain medical treatments. This means both the ones that you would want and the ones you wouldn’t. While this can be a scary thing to think about, it can help you or a loved one retain autonomy in an emergency situation. If you are looking to create a living will or have any questions about the process, the trusted attorneys at Sutton & Lovette Law Offices are here to help you. 

What is Included in a Living Will?

When creating your living will, it is smart to keep your health care providers inside the conversation to advise you on certain decisions. These can include many different kinds of procedures, including the ones listed below. You can choose other preferences that you have as well.

CPR

CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is a procedure that attempts to restart your heartbeat if your heart stops beating or has an abnormal rhythm. If you’ve never seen CPR done before, the doctor or nurse has to repeatedly apply excessive force to the patient’s chest in order to manually pump air into their lungs. Further, if they are attempting to shock your heart back into rhythm, this can involve electric shocks from a defibrillator. The older the patient is, the less likely that CPR is to work. 

Ventilators

These are a large point of contention in emergency care and preferences for them should be recorded in a living will. This is a machine that pushes air into your lungs to help you breath with a tube that goes in your mouth and through your throat. A ventilator is used to keep someone breathing when they can’t do it alone.

Pacemakers

A pacemaker is a battery-powered device that keeps that heart beating fast enough. If a near-death experience occurs, the pacemaker may not be able to keep the patient alive. In a living will, it is important to state what medical professionals should do in this situation if they suggest that it be turned off or not. 

What is the Difference Between a Last Will and a Living Will?

These two are easy to confuse. The difference lies in when your wishes will be carried out. Your last will and testament is for your survivorship that outlines what should be done with your property and assets after you pass. On the other hand, your living will defines your medical wishes for when you are alive but in a position where you can’t communicate with your doctor what you want your care to look like.

How is a Living Will Prepared?

The first step in preparing your living will is figuring out what is important to you to include. After all, these are your wishes and your will should reflect what you want for yourself in emergency situations. So, anything that you might want done a certain way in terms of your medical care should be included in your living will. It all depends what your goals are and what you want your life to look like following the emergency medical event. Outlining these goals leads you to what should be included in your living will. Talking to your detector can make this easier to figure out and they can guide you with their expertise and prior experience. 

After you’ve decided what to include in your blog, you have to complete your living will form. This can be found on your state’s website or at your lawyer’s office. Then, you must sign your will with two people over the age of 18 as witnesses. Neither of the witnesses can be the person who signs the document for you if you are unable to. The document should also be dated when it is made and when it is updated. After that, copies should be made and given to your proxy (representative/decision maker) and your doctors. This document can be updated as time passes or your opinions change. You should look back at it at least once a year and make sure it still aligns with what you want. 

Living Wills and How to Find Help With Them

Wills can be a complicated and stressful thing to manage. However, they are important to have and can even help you retain your autonomy in emergency situations. A living will makes sure that you get the care that you desire when you may not be able to communicate it yourself in the moment. If you have questions about it or are interested in making a living will for yourself, it can be worthwhile to speak to an attorney about it who has dealt with them before. That is why the attorneys at Sutton & Lovette Law Offices are at your service to guide you through this process. If you are looking to make a living will and want us to be your legal representation, contact us at (814) 471-7702 or suttonandlovette@gmail.com.