How to Make a Living Will?

Answer 1

Adults of sound mind are capable to make their own choice if they will accept or refuse care and treatment without interference. To avoid problems that may arise in the event of deteriorating health or loss of mental capacity, a living will can indicate your wishes. Living wills are not legally binding but include general assertions about your desires for future medical care and treatment. Often people use a living will to protect their refusal of treatment rights when they are no longer of sound mind. To help you include the appropriate steps for a living will, follow this guideline.

▪ Step 1: List general statements. Although advance directives are not legally binding, the caregiver will have to consider your wishes prior to applying medical treatment. To ensure your wishes have the best chance of being followed through, advise all close family, caregivers and other health professionals you are in contact with prior to loss of mental capacity.

▪ Step 2: List the treatment or care that you accept or refuse. Listing these requests should be specific and list under which circumstance the treatment should or should not be used.

▪ Step 3: Name a treatment advisor. The living will should indicate your wishes in most circumstances but there are always circumstances that are not thought of. In the instance that a last minute treatment decision needs to be made or that your living will might have left out, you will want to have a name listed within the living will that is capable of making these decisions.

▪ Step 4: Include your contact information. List your full name, date of birth, doctor and current complete address.

▪ Step 5: Sign the living will. You can sign and date the living will on your own but it is better to get a witness to sign as well. This witness should sign a statement agreeing you were of sound mind and fully understood the details within the living will and date it.

▪ Step 6: Make copies of the living will. Keep in mind if a nurse, doctor, emergency service or caregiver personnel does not have a copy in hand of your living will, usually signed by your doctor they are legally bound to apply treatment regardless of your wishes. Allow copies to be placed in your medical charts at the hospital, nursing home or your doctor’s office.

▪ Step 7: Review your living will. Regularly review your living will to ensure your wishes are well spelt out. Situations and treatment options change causing your livings will treatment wishes to be adjusted. If changes are made, destroy the old copies and replace with new ones.

Getting older does not have to be a worrisome or lead to loss of your personal decision-making power. Prepare in advance of anything happening to your health with the development of a well thought through living will. Making people aware of your wishes with copies of a living will can offer peace of mind that your wishes will be considered if you are no longer mentally capable.