What to Include in a Living Will
We all want to provide for our families after we pass on, but it is also important to leave instructions for our family members in the event a medical condition leaves us incapable of making medical decisions on our own. A living will is a way to care for your family and remove from them the burden of making difficult decisions regarding your care.
Living Will – What to Include
A living will is a legal document that lists your desires when it comes to your medical care. A living will should include:
- CPR and resuscitation: This includes procedures meant to restart the heart, including electric shock procedures.
- Ventilation: Ventilators take over breathing if you are unable to breathe on your own. Your living will can direct whether or not you want to be placed on a ventilator, and the length of time the treatment should continue.
- Tube Feeding: You can decide if and for how long this treatment would be administered.
- Dialysis: A procedure to remove waste if your kidneys fail.
- Medications: Including antibiotics meant to aggressively treat infections.
- Palliative Care: This type of care is meant to keep you as comfortable as possible and can include pain medication.
- Organ Donation: This can include tissue donation as well.
A living will can be a great comfort to family members and can provide peace during a very emotional time. It also keeps you in control of your own body and allows your wishes to be carried out. Your family members can spend time with you without the worry and stress of end of life planning, and you can rest assured knowing your needs will be met exactly the way you choose.
Robert Turner has years of experience in drafting living wills that meet each individual need. If you need assistance with a living will, or with any other end of life planning, contact Turner Law today and schedule your free initial consultation.
Posted on the behalf of Turner Law, LLC
