Free Living Will

What Is a Living Will?

A living will form (sometimes also called advance healthcare directive) is a special legal document that outlines an individual’s wishes regarding medical treatments that may prolong or save their life.

A living will form is ideally prepared before it’s needed. This way, it can be used if the individual described in the living will can’t make medical decisions for themselves. For instance, a person might be in a medically-induced coma or otherwise unresponsive due to injuries.

What Wishes Can I Specify in My Living Will? (Advance Directive)

Life Support A living will can detail the affected person’s opinion on life support. Life support, in a medical context, is any machinery or medical practice used to keep a person alive if they are in a vegetative state or are otherwise unresponsive. Furthermore, life support is used when it’s unclear whether a person will ever come out of a vegetative state. Life support represents ongoing medical costs and potential heavy burdens for existing family members since the person receiving treatment obviously cannot pay for things themselves.	As a result, a living will should outline whether the affected individual: Wants life support continued at any cost Wants life support continued only up to a certain cost or up to a certain amount of time Wants life support turned off if it becomes unclear whether they will ever awaken. They may do this to spare money for their families and loved ones
Life-Sustaining Treatmentout by doctors A living will document may also provide answers regarding life-sustaining treatments. Such treatments are distinct from life-support – these are treatments that may be expensive, experimental, or potentially harmful to quality of life in the event that the affected individual does recover. An example is a life-sustaining treatment that involves the removal of one’s limbs or other significant bodily tissues and parts to save their life. A living will can tell whether the affected individual wants their tissue removed or if they would rather pass away intact. On the other hand, life-sustaining treatments might be too expensive for any family to reasonably accommodate.	The affected individual might want to prevent their family from going into debt just to extend their life after an accident. The answers to these questions are not always clear. For instance, an elderly person who is already sickly may decide to simply pass away without the invasive medical procedures that might extend their life for several more weeks or months. Ultimately, a living will is supposed to dispel any confusion regarding these matters and make the medical wishes of the affected individual totally clear to be carried out by doctors.
End-of-Life Wishesorial purposes A living will can also outline any “end of life” care wishes. These are any wishes or requests that an affected person might have regarding the treatment of their body, the medicine that is used for their treatment, or any other matters. In many cases, such wishes have a religious or spiritual foundation or context and can help medical practitioners avoid any accidentally insensitive behaviors.	A living will can also address end-of-life wishes regarding organ donation. For instance, someone may wish for their organs to be harvested immediately so that they can be better used for other individuals. Others may opt out of organ donation to preserve their body for burial or other memorial purposes.

Where to keep my living will?

You should keep your advance healthcare documents in a few good locations. If you spend a lot of time on the document and don’t tell anyone where to find it, even your health care agent can’t point to the document if a medical professional asks them a pointed question about your care. Your doctor’s office should have a copy at a minimum, but you should also give a copy to your medical power of attorney for health care proxy. Keep a third copy at home in a safe location for future reference or for later editing considerations, and perhaps a fourth at a law firm involved in the drafting process.

How much does a living will cost?

If you want to hire a lawyer to help you create a living will, the cost will depend on you state. It will also vary if you want your document get acknowledged by a notary public. An average living will costs from $200 to $500, which is quite expensive, considering that you can create a living will online yourself with our tool for much less.

Are living wills contestable?

Yes, but not because of any disagreement with the living will’s contents. Instead, a living will may be contested by placing a formal objection against the document’s overall validity. In other words, you must contest the will by claiming that it’s not a valid document in the first place.You can do this in several ways. For instance, most states require that a living will include:

You can do this in several ways. For instance, most states require that a living will include:

• A signature, a notary public’s signature and perhaps the signature of one or two witnesses
• Signatures from adults of sound mind and body
• That the person the living will pertains to is not pregnant (or does not know they are pregnant)
• That the attending physician was notified of the will

If any of these clauses are broken, you may have cause to contest a living will. If a successful case for contesting is made, doctors will usually withhold final decisions if possible but will often default to attempting to keep the affected person alive until another decision is made.

Can I change or revoke a living will?

Yes, and at any time. You must inform everyone who has a copy of the living will in writing that it has been canceled, then redraw the living will with the desired edits. You will need to go through the same witnessing and signing process as before. If your doctor’s office does not receive notification that the living will was revoked or edited, they may decide to use the original version of the will.

What problems can I face without a living will?

Without a living will, your family may need to make difficult decisions regarding how your life is sustained or how you are resuscitated without knowing your opinion on things. This can be emotionally taxing. Furthermore, it can be financially very risky because medical practitioners will often attempt to save the lives of individuals under their care without regard for ongoing medical costs.

A living will takes care of all of these uncertainties and makes things easier for you, your family, and your doctor in the event that you are incapacitated.

Steps to make a living will

Step 1. Think on What to Include in Your Living Will

The first step is to think deeply about what you want your living will to state. This heavily depends on your current medical circumstances. Someone in perfect health will have a completely different living will from someone who is facing a chronic condition that will likely be terminal at some point. However, you may have specific wishes regarding your religious practices or your desires for organ donation. Consider your mortality and the decisions you want to be made on your deathbed carefully to avoid any mishaps. Additionally, remember that any decisions made in this document are essentially final – they cannot be taken back unless you go back and modify the document before something bad happens.

Step 2. Choose Your End-of-life Wishes and Treatments

If you would like, look into all of the available end-of-life options and treatments so you can write down specific answers for each one. For instance, there are multiple methods of resuscitation that EMTs and doctors might use to preserve your life. There are also multiple types of life-support equipment that might be used to keep you alive even if you enter a coma. Furthermore, consider any wishes that you might have for your funeral, cremation, or any other last rites.

Step 3. Select Your Healthcare Agent

Pick a healthcare agent. This is often (though not always) the same person as your healthcare proxy or medical power of attorney. Your healthcare agent is the person directed to carry out the wishes of your living will if they are present for your medical accident or condition. The agent should be someone you trust completely because they will make decisions regarding your health and make sure that your living will is carried out properly. If you would like, they may also be in charge of retrieving the document for review.

Step 4. Complete the Living Will (Advance Directive) Form

After finalizing all of your decisions, it’s time to fill out the form. Sign the living will make it an active legal document.