A living will carries specific instructions about your future medical care. If you fall into a persistent vegetative state or reach your end-of-life care, your health care providers can refer to your legal document to honor your treatment preferences.
To find out more about this estate planning tool, here are three key benefits of having a living will:
It can help you prepare for unexpected accidents or illnesses
Although there is a common notion that living wills are only useful for terminally ill people, any competent adult who is 18 years old or older can create one to plan for their future. By having a living will, you empower yourself to be medically taken care of with dignity in the event that you fall into a coma, become mentally incapacitated or suffer from a terminal condition.
It can be updated or canceled at any time
Similar to a final will and testament, your living will can be updated or revoked at any time (so long as you are of sound mind). You can update your existing document to become an organ donor, add a new treatment preference and/or change your original instructions.
It can include directions about your use of artificial life support
Your valid document also helps you make your end-of-life care decisions instead of your loved ones. It can include instructions regarding your pain management, artificial nutrition administration and how long you want to be kept on a mechanical ventilator and/or a dialysis machine.
You can leave the world with grace
When you have a living will, you can make plans about your future healthcare decisions with peace of mind. This not only helps your medical care providers learn about your specific directions but also spares your family of the emotional toll that comes from making challenging decisions on your behalf.
