A living will, which may actually be called a health care directive, is very different than a will that provides direction as to the distribution of an estate after death. Instead, this legal document is designed by your Champion Heights estate planning lawyer to assist your family in end-of-life care arrangements.
Most people have a will, but few people have taken the time to consult an estate planning lawyer about a living will. A basic definition of a living will is a directive that outlines the steps that medical professional should take in the event of a serious injury or illness when you cannot make these determinations for yourself.
When a living will is not present, the family, or a medical professional, is required to make these decisions. This can be extremely difficult for adult children, spouses or parents to make when there is a serious or life-threatening health issue.
Medical Science and End of Life Issues
As medical science and the treatment of even extremely life threatening injuries and diseases has advanced, people are able to live even through what would have been a life ending medical issue in the past.
However, the quality of life after the treatment may be severely diminished, including the patient living solely on life support or remaining technically alive but with significant permanent brain damage. As physicians work to keep a patient alive, this creates a conflict with what the patient may have discussed with family in the past.
The Documentation
All states now allow people to develop a living will to address these issues in the event of these types of tragedies. An estate planning lawyer in Champion Heights will work with you to ensure you have addressed the type of care you want to receive and the levels of medical technology and treatment that will be used in the event of an end-of-life event.
The estate planning lawyer will ensure that all issues are addressed in the living will including the treatment options such as the use of life saving and life prolonging equipment or techniques such as respirators, surgical procedures, blood transfusions and resuscitation methods.
It will also include the use of intravenous feeding and palliative care issues, or the use of medications to help alleviate pain during the end-of-life. These issues are often very difficult for a family to decide, but with the help of your estate planning lawyer you can provide them with the directives they need to ensure they are doing what you want.
It is important to work with an estate planning lawyer to develop a living will that is legal and current. John C. Grundy has extensive experience as an attorney focusing in on wills, estates and estate planning.
