How to Use the Five Wishes Living Will
A living will is a means through which to convey to a loved one what you want done for your health in the event you are unable to make a decision. Through the use of the prepared list of Five Wishes Living Will, you can more readily make decisions about your care without having to know all the medical jargon.
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Instructions
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Write Wish 1, "The Person I Want to Make Care Decisions for Me When I Can't." This identifies the individual to whom the decision making authority should fall when you are incapacitated and cannot consent to medical treatment. It is important to talk with this person while you are well, letting them know exactly what your desires are. The person in whom you place trust to make medical decisions for you might be a spouse or child.
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Outline Wish 2, "The Kind of Medical Treatment I Want or Don't Want." It will describe the type of life support that can be used in life threatening situations like coma, brain damage or terminal illness.
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Write Wish 3, "How Comfortable I Want to Be." This part deals with pain management. Detail how much medication you wish to receive to manage your pain.
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Describe "How I Want People to Treat Me" in Wish 4. You may also discuss in this section whether you would prefer to be moved home in the event your doctors believe you will die.
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Finish with Wish 5, "What I Want My Loved Ones to Know." Among other things, this wish can include what type of funeral or memorial service you would like.
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Sign the Five Wishes Will in front of two witnesses. Depending on what state you live in, the document may also need to be notarized.
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Tips & Warnings
If you change your mind, you can revoke the Five Wishes living will. You can also create a new Five Wishes living will to replace the old one. Destroy all old copies and make sure all applicable parties have a copy of the new living will.
The Five Wishes Will is not legally valid in every state.
