So what exactly is a living will? Unlike a final will where you state who you want to inherit your property after you pass away, in a living will, you outline your preferences about future healthcare treatments, in case you’re ever unable to express your wishes to doctors and loved ones. For example, if you end up in a coma, unconscious or unable to verbally articulate your thoughts.
A living will also be referred to as “medical directives,” “health care proxies,” or “advance health care directives.” Some jurisdictions have a standardized form, while other places allow you to draft your own document so long as you have it witnessed and signed.
Once you make a living will, at a time when you are able to mentally and physically do so, the person making a decision on your behalf, if something were to happen to you, will be bound to comply with any wishes you expressed while you were still capable. It is a binding document.
These documents have become popular as more and more people realize the importance of making critical decisions about their medical and end-of-life care ahead of time. Many legal battles have taken place which negatively affect family members where they try to keep a specific member alive using medical treatments, while others prefer to end the person’s life if no recourse is expected in improving their health to minimize suffering. Having a living will help prevent much of this by allowing each person to document their own wishes and preferences, giving more certainty, for other family members or loved ones to follow whether they agree with it or not.
Some of the specific benefits of a living will include:
Authorize treatments. There are many procedures that require authorization from the patient. You can make these authorizations in advance in case you are incapacitated. You can ensure that you will get the treatment you need and want.
Refusing specific treatments: As the inverse of the previous point, there are a number of reasons why people may not want certain medical treatments. It could be a “do not resuscitate” order, or you may not want a feeding tube. Some treatments may be against your moral or religious beliefs. A living will give you control over the treatments that you will accept and those you will not.
Know your outcomes: You never know when an illness or disease might strike or you may be in an accident that puts you into a situation where you cannot make your health care decisions. Having a living will in place ensures you that incapacitation will not make outcomes a guessing game. You know what to expect because you have specified it.
Eliminate financial problems for your family: Medical treatments, especially long term care, can become very expensive. You can make decisions in advance that will eliminate or minimize the cost of care for you.
Make the decisions easy for your family: Similar to the previous point, since you have specified what you want, it will be easier for your family to accede to your wishes. You have limited their options so decisions won’t be as difficult as they might have been.
Prevent arguments among family members: Your family cares about you, but different family members may have different opinions about the best treatment for you. By creating a living will, you can eliminate any disagreements.
Ensure doctors follow your wishes: With an advance directive, your doctors will do what you wanted them to do. They won’t do what they simply feel is best for you. You are in control and not your doctor.
The Time Secured app makes creating a living will easy, there are editable templates that can be used and downloaded for signature. These can then be sent to your family members for safekeeping or through the passing vault (if you don’t want them to see it until there is a need to).