What is a Living Will?
A living will (also known as an advance directive) is an important part of your estate plan. A living will is a statement you make regarding end-of-life medical decisions. It is different from your last will and testament and your designation of health care surrogate. It is intended to be an end-of-life document and does not prevent routine medical treatment or care for non-life threatening conditions.
Living wills commonly include:
- your wishes regarding life-prolonging procedures (whether to withhold food or water, etc) if there is no probability of your survival
- specific directions about what kind of care you do and don’t want (such as dialysis, mechanical ventilation, etc.)
- palliative care wishes (whether you prefer to pass at home or avoid invasive tests/procedures) and
- spiritual or religious considerations.
It is important that if you have a health care surrogate, you discuss the decisions within your living will with them so they can make decisions consistent with your wishes.
In addition to having this discussion with your health care surrogate, you should ensure that a copy is included in your medical chart with your doctors so they are aware of your wishes.
Florida Estate Planning Attorney
If you are in Florida and are interested in discussing estate planning, contact us today. If you are ready to get started on your Florida estate plan, you can do so here.