Living Wills

Living wills are documents that give instructions regarding treatment if the individual becomes terminally ill or is in a persistent vegetative state and is unable to communicate his or her own instructions, and are needed because advances in medicine allow doctors to prolong and sustain life although the person will not recover from a persistent vegetative state.

They are best used by people without someone to appoint as a health care agent. Living wills are recognized in most, but not always all states, and are necessary because advancements in medicine have set the stage for the extending life beyond what may be considered as reasonable quality of life. They are usually effective for an unlimited time unless revoked by the maker.

Living wills are often used in conjunction with a health-care proxy , which authorizes a previously chosen person to make health-care decisions in the event of incapacity, and are the most common examples of instructive directives, but other types of instructive directives, such as no transfusion and no CPR directives are also employed. They are not the most flexible means of carrying out your wishes and respecting Christian values in the event that you become incompetent or unconscious. They are still important, however, especially since they can communicate your feelings about what kind of life is worth living to your family? Living wills are also called ?Advance Directives..

Living wills are written instructions that explain your wishes regarding health care, should you have a terminal condition. They are now very common documents, and are not really wills at all. Living wills are used during life and may be modified by the declarant whenever circumstances change. They are made more effective when supplemented by a health care proxy or durable power of attorney for health, naming a relative or friend to act on the patient's behalf if he or she is unable to do so, and are vague.