A
living will is a legal document that a person uses to make known his or her
wishes regarding life prolonging medical treatments. It can also be referred to
as an advance directive, health care directive, or a physician's directive. A
living will should not be confused with a living trust, which is a mechanism
for holding and distributing a person's assets to avoid probate. It is
important to have a living will as it informs your health care providers and
your family about your desires for medical treatment in the event you are not
able to speak for yourself.
Generally,
a living will describes certain life prolonging treatments. You, the declarant,
indicate which treatments you do or do not want applied to you in the event you
either suffer from a terminal illness or are in a permanent vegetative state. A
living will does not become effective unless you are incapacitated; until then
you'll be able to say what treatments you do or don't want.
