The purpose of a living will is to inform your doctors and medical team of your wishes regarding your treatment at the end of life. This is a legally binding document that allows you to maintain control over your life if you lose the capacity to make important decisions about your healthcare due to a medical crisis.
Creating a living will when in good mental and physical health can spare a close friend or family member from making difficult choices about your end-of-life care. Without it, the potential for disagreements among your loved ones regarding next steps could cause undue stress.
What to include in a living will
Your living will should include information about your end-of-life wishes. This includes the following:
- Indicate whether or not you want the following procedures:
- Intubation
- Feeding tube and hydration
- Ventilator
- CPR
Also address whether you would want your pacemaker, implanted cardioverter-defibrillator, feeding tube or assisted oral feeding switched off or stopped in the event that death is imminent. All of these can be addressed in your Do Not Resuscitate order. (DNR).
You can also include your wishes for palliative care, which is done to ease your pain and keep you comfortable. This is also where you can indicate whether or not you would like to be an organ donor.
If you are pregnant, include which life-saving efforts you want performed in case issues arise. You may want the doctors to prioritize the life of your baby over your own.
You should also name a health care proxy. This should be a person whom you trust to carry out your wishes regardless of their own personal feelings. This person needs to be someone who will not give in to others who may want heroic acts performed to prolong your life.
Given how important these decisions are, it is recommended that you seek experienced legal guidance with creating your living will.
