Living Will

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1

Hi Danielle-

Thanks for the welcome. Wanted to answer earlier, however, getting used to the website.

Have a question for you. I already have a living will and think it appropriate to dust it off and perhaps make it a little more granular just to be on the safe side. Are you aware of any resources that delineate some of the issues that might be beneficial to include in a living will, or are you aware of any topics that might have been initiated to address this? Thanks

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2

Hi there,

You are most welcome, it was great to hear from you.

Would you feel comfortable with me creating a public thread for this topic? Your question is one that I haven’t seen on Ben’s Friends and I think other community members will find it helpful.

I hope you have a great day!

Danielle

3

Sure, by all means, Danielle. Thank you.

Tom

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On Apr 11, 2018, at 11:25 PM, Danielle_BFintern ben_baf_community@discoursemail.com wrote:

Danielle_BFintern

    April 12

Hi there,

You are most welcome, it is great to hear from you.

Your question about creating a living will is a very good one. I am just in the process of looking into this for you. Would you feel comfortable with me creating a public thread for this topic? Your question is one that I haven’t seen before on Ben’s Friends and I think other community members will find it helpful.

I hope you have a great day!

Danielle

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5

Thank-you, Tom!

First off, for those community members who might not be familiar with the term- a living will is a written document that includes details regarding your future medical care.

It typically outlines which treatments an individual would OR would not want in an end-of-life situation… especially if you were unable to make or express these choices in the future. In other words, you are making potential decisions for yourself NOW, in the present, in case you are unable to make them in the future. It is a way to assert a sense of autonomy or control of your physical health and wellbeing.

So, what to include in a living will:

My research indicates that living wills can be very specific or general. It is important to note, however, that what you include will be dependent upon the law in your state/region.

You do not need a lawyer to make a living will, but you can consult with an attorney if you wish. If you make one on your own, make sure you find a form that meets your state’s requirements. You may be able to find free living will forms at:

-Local senior centers
-Local hospitals
-Your physician’s office
-Your state’s medical association

A few broad questions to answer in your living will:

-What qualifies as a meaningful quality of life?
-How much disability am I ok with?
-How well would I need to get to want to stay alive?
-What is most important to me about end-of-life care?
-What is not acceptable to me?

Here are two links which go into more specifics:

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/living-will-power-attorney-medical-issues-29536.html

I realize that this can get overwhelming pretty quickly, so I will pause here for now. I hope this helped, Tom.

Danielle

6

Any local hospice will have a living will packet available. Also, you can go to legalzoom. com and get tons of info about living wills vs. wills as well as kits to do both.

azurelle

7

I see that this is an old topic, but I thought I would add two cents. While I can’t speak for all states, I can speak to the legal requirements in Massachusetts. I am also not sure if this topic is addressing the term “Living Will”, which in MA is really a non legal document declaring intent or if the topic is addressing the need for a document that allows someone to make decisions, in MA referred to as a Health Care Proxy, but also referred to as a Health Care Power of Attorney.

While the internet will provide a bountiful supply of options, it is good to discuss this subject matter with either your attorney or your doctor. There are sometimes specific manners in which these documents should be executed. So if you are flying solo, be sure that you comply with the rules or you may risk that the document you prepare will not be recognized when you want it to be recognized. A Lawyer will discuss not only how to deal with this issue, but will address other documents that are critical in end of life planning.

Bottom line is that the traditional “Living Will” usually has a criteria that relates to a “vegetative state”. You are going to want people to deal with the quality of life that you are going to have long before you hit a vegetative state. Also, nothing can replace a real conversation. Don’t rely on the paperwork only. Talk with the people that will be making decisions on your behalf and make sure that they understand your desires and that they are willing and able to make the decisions that you would want them to make.

God Bless everyone!

8

Hey Brian! The topic is for Living Wills. However, you provided some great information. The Health Care PoA is also referred to as a Medical Power of Attorney. Here in NC, Power of Attorneys, both medical and legal, need to be filed with the Clerk of Courts. When our wills were updated, our attorney filed everything with the County Clerk’s Office.