Living Wills

Why do you need a living will? Experience has taught me that even more important then helping a person draft a will to provide for their asset distribution is assisting with them with drafting a living will which clearly outlines what is to be done when they are incapacitated and cannot make their own decisions.

This is a highly sensitive matter with many more considerations then a person may have thought about, it is part of my responsibility is to make sure that all situations and scenarios are considered when drafting a living will so when the time comes there is little question on what is to be done.

By definition a living will is your written expression of how you want to be treated with the onset of certain medical conditions. Depending on state law, this document may permit you to express whether or not you wish to be given life-sustaining treatments in the event you are terminally ill or injured. With all of this in place you can decide in advance whether you wish to be provided food and water via intravenous devices (“tube feeding”), as well as give other medical directions that would have an impact on the end of your life.

“Life-sustaining treatment” means the use of available medical machinery and techniques, such as heart-lung machines, ventilators, and other medical equipment and techniques that will sustain and possibly extend your life, but which will not by themselves cure your condition. In addition to terminal illness or injury situations, most states permit you to express your preferences as to treatment using life-sustaining equipment and/or tube feeding for medical conditions that leave you permanently unconscious and without detectable brain activity.

A living will applies in situations where the decision to use such treatments may prolong your life for a limited period of time and not obtaining such treatment would result in your death. It does not mean that medical professionals would deny you pain medications and other treatments that would relieve pain or otherwise make you more comfortable. Living wills do not determine your medical treatment in situations that do not affect your continued life, such as routine medical treatment and non life-threatening medical conditions. In all states medical professionals are the only ones who can make this type of determination, this is usually your attending physician, and at least one other medical doctor who has examined you and/or reviewed your medical situation.

I completely understand the sensitivity of these decisions and will work with you to make sure you not only understand what all of your options are but make certain that everyone else will too.