Living Wills & Family
The Mayo Clinic describes living wills as legal documents that are part of advanced directives spelling out what a person wants if faced with an end-of-life situation like a serious accident or illness.
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Types
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Living wills cover medical treatments and life-sustaining measures like respirators, ventilators, feeding tubes, resuscitation, and if a person wants their organs donated.
Features
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Each state has state-specific forms that people can fill out with their wishes and share with family members and doctors.
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Function
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The American Bar Association notes that living wills help during decisions involved in determining the continuation of a person's life. These documents speak for patients when they can't speak for themselves.
Benefits
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Living wills help ease some of the life and death decisions off family members so they and medical staff can make the best treatment decisions based on a patient's wishes.
Considerations
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Since living wills don't cover everything, sometimes people get a medical power of attorney and elect a family member or a friend to act as their agent in making medical decisions.
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