Do you have a Living Will? Recently I have gone through a personal journey with my husband, who has never been
How Could He Be Sick?
He has always been a very active, very healthy person so when he was told he had a heart problem first we were a little bewildered. He did not feel sick; how could he have a heart problem? After we picked ourselves up off the floor and decided we had to handle this.
First Two Procedures Did Not Work!
His first two hospital visits the procedures did not work. As soon as he came home his heart converted back to Afib. We were told that a lot of people do live with AFib, but because of Joe’s family history, it was advisable to do what we can to get it converted. Without going into a lot of details we decided to take the Doctors advice and follow through with the next procedure.
Do You Have A Living Will?
Several times we were asked if he had a Living Will, at this point in time, we did not know what a Living Will was. The third time Joe was in the hospital, during his third procedure, at one point, we almost lost him. Afterward, his nurse explained to us the need for a Living Will or Health Care Directive.
What is a Health Care Directive?
A Health Care Directive is a document that allows you to plan your medical treatment in advance. If there ever should come a time when you are unable to express your personal health care wishes a Health Care Directive will assure that your wishes are carried out.
A Health Care Directive is also known as:
- Living Will Form
- Advance Directive
- Advance Medical Directive
- Advance Health Care Directive
- Living Will
What is a Medical Power of Attorney?
This document is used to appoint someone to make medical decisions on your behalf. A person of your choice.
Other names for a Medical Power of Attorney is:
- Health Care Power of Attorney
- Health Care Proxy
- Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care
- Power of Attorney Medical
What is a Living Will?
You can ensure your medical wishes are carried out by creating a Living Will. This is set up in advance in the event you are incapacitated or cannot consent to your health care treatment.
Is a Living Will the same as a Health Care Directive?
Good questions and one that depends on the state you live in. Living Will and Health Care Directive are terms that are interchangeable in some states. Then again some states will use one term but not the other. However, it is true that a Living Will and a Health Care Directive both indicate your health care preferences in the event of a medical emergency or if you are incapacitated.
Dual Terminology
The term Health Care Directive may also be used to refer to a document that contains both a Living Will and a Medical Power of Attorney. In addition, this may differ from state to state. States may have varying requirements in what constitutes a Living Will or Health Care Directive.
It is critically important to check your state’s laws regarding these documents. You must determine exactly which documents you need to carry out your wishes.
A Living Will and a Last Will and Testament Is There a Difference?
There is a big difference between the two. If you are unable to express your health care wishes, hospitals and family members can refer to your Living Will as a statement of your medical wishes.
A Last Will and Testament is a document used to show how you would like your assets divided. Or perhaps how you want your children cared for after your death. You cannot specify medical treatment preferences within a Last Will.
Why should I create a Health Care Directive?
Without a Health Care Directive, you place the burden of making your medical decisions on your family when they are already in a compromised state. Creating a personal Living will not only give you control of your medical wishes, but it also saves your family from making tough choices regarding your health. I have had to do that. So believe me it is not easy.
Medical Power of Attorney
In addition, by having a Medical Power of Attorney it allows you to discuss your treatment wishes with someone you trust before anything happens. This way everyone can be on the same page and there is no disagreement over how medical treatment should be handled. Your wishes are carried out and no one has to make a decision they don’t want to make.
What decisions can I list in a Living Will?
Medical decisions are based on state law and limits and every state has its own limits as to what you are legally permitted to include in your directive. You may be as specific as you like in your Living Will, but remember that health care providers can only carry out those instructions to the point that the law allows.
The decisions you can make and include are the following:
Terminal Illness or Injury
You can document which treatment options you would like to have used to prolong your life.
What does ‘Terminally ill mean? To a medical professional the term means they have determined that you have a limited life expectancy, that whatever condition you have cannot be cured. Your life expectancy is limited.
Life Support
You can state if you would like to have any form of life support if a medical emergency should arise.
Life support meaning any life-sustaining procedures done to restore function to an organ through medical intervention.
Some Life-Sus taining Procedures
CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation), assisted breathing, artificially administered food and water, defibrillators, and dialysis are just a few of the common forms of life support.
DNR stands for “Do Not Resuscitate”, meaning you do not want to receive any life support or resuscitation if an of your organs fail.
Permanent Unconsciousness
You can state which, if any, treatments you would like to receive if you become permanently unconsciousness, as in a coma or a continued vegetative state.
Permanent unconsciousness is defined as when there is a reasonable degree of medical certainty that the patient can no longer think, feel, knowingly move, or be aware that they are alive, and there is no hope for improvement. Therefore, the Living Will becomes
Comfort Care
You may address your preferences for whether or not you would want to receive comfort care near the end of your life.
Comfort care? What does it mean? A healthcare professional will use any means possible to relieve your pain. Such as administering medication or creating a comfortable environment for you to rest in. As a result, creating a comfortable allowing you to rest in comfort.
Quality of Life
What do you determine to be a quality of life? You can define your definition of quality of life in a Living Will. Therefore, you can inform medical professionals and/or family members what you want to happen to you in the event of a life or death situation. As a result, your personal belief in your own health and comfort standards in relation to a medical emergency or terminal illness determines your quality of life. You want your wishes followed. That is why you need a living will.
My Health Care Directive comes into effect when?
Once the document is signed it is binding. That means it comes into use when you have been found to be unable to make your own medical decisions. Typically, this would be when you are unable to make your own decision, you are in a coma, or you are in a vegetative state.
Can I make changes to my Health Care Directive?
Of course, you can make changes to your personal directive. To make changes you must destroy your current one and notify your health care representative or hospital of your changes. Then you must create and distribute a new directive. Consequently, it is extremely important to let everyone in your family know where you keep your advance directive so they can easily find it during an emergency.
The Answer
So to answer the question. “YES”! Everyone needs a Living Will, no matter your age. You should have a Living Will so that your wishes are carried out in case you are in an accident or get sick. If you have children or even pets, you want to make sure they are taken care of too. So, when you have your Living Will drawn up go ahead and get your Last Will and Testament done too. It never hurts to be prepared.
Where to Find Documents
If you don’t want to pay an Attorney to produce these documents for you go Here and you can get the documents, produce them yourself and then have them notarized. Saving yourself a lot of money.
