Unlike an end-of-life will, living wills are designed to take effect while you're still alive but unable to make your own decisions when it comes to medical care. Whether you're simply too ill to make decisions or you're incapacitated in some way, a living will will help ensure that your wishes are honored while getting you medical care near the end of your life. Here are a couple of important things to consider when creating your living will:

Who Will Make the Decisions?

One of the most important decisions you will have to make when creating a living will for yourself is who will make healthcare decisions for you when you can't communicate your wishes yourself. You may have a spouse whom you trust to make decisions for you and to carry out the wishes that you communicate to them, but if they're nearing the end of their life like you, they may not be the best choice for managing your living will when all is said and done.

Carefully consider the capabilities and values of every person in your family that you consider giving control of your living will to. Are they willing to honor your wishes even if they don't agree with those wishes? Can they handle the stress and heartache of making end-of-life medical care decisions for you while you're still alive? This should help you identify which family member is best suited to be the executor of your living will.

Should a Lawyer Be Hired?

It is also a good idea to consider hiring a lawyer to help you create your living will. In addition to deciding how you want to be cared for when medical care is needed and deciding who will execute your living will when it comes into play, you will have to make sure that your living will is actually legal in your state by making sure that it meets all your state's rule and regulations.

An experienced lawyer will not only help ensure that your living will is legal, but they can also help you decide who to appoint as executor of your will. And they can actually act as the executor if you are not able to identify a family member or friend to take over the responsibility for you. They will also help ensure that your wishes for things like organ donation are honored immediately after death, if necessary.

Contact an experienced living will attorney or go to sites like http://wrightlawidaho.com/ today to learn more about how they can help protect your rights and wishes when you aren't able to do so yourself.

Share