Living Will Dnr Free
Many people prefer to choose for themselves whether they want life-prolonging measures such as mechanical ventilators and CPR, yet as many as 80% of the U.S. population do not have a living will, a legal document that will speak for you if you become incapacitated.
It’s a good idea to have a living will no matter what age you are. A living will can ensure you receive the type of end-of-life care you want and protect your family from having to make difficult decisions on your behalf.
Deciding What Treatments You Want
The first step in creating a living will is to consider what types of treatment you would like to receive, for how long, and under what circumstances. While it’s impossible to plan for every possibility, you should at least make some choices about the following treatments:
Resuscitation. Unless your will includes a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order, health care workers are required to try and revive you if your heart stops. This can come in the form of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or electric shocks from a defibrillator to stimulate your heart.
Mechanical ventilation. A machine that breathes for you can prolong your life even if you’re in a permanent vegetative state. Decide under what circumstances you would or would not want to receive mechanical ventilation.
Palliative care. In the event that you become terminally ill, you can outline what type of pain treatment you want to receive.
Nutritional and hydration assistance. If you are unable to eat, your body can receive nutrition and fluids intravenously or via a tube in your stomach.
Once you’ve made these important decisions, it’s a good idea to designate a health care agent who can make decisions on your behalf. This person, also called a health care power of attorney, is legally required to abide by your living will.
Drafting Your Living Will
You can hire an attorney to create an advance directive for you, or you can do it yourself at a much lower cost on websites such as AgingWithDignity.org or LegalZoom.com.
Once you’ve written your living will, the final step is to discuss it with your family and give copies to your physician, your designated health care agent and other key family members. In a study of 200 patients, 50% of those who created living wills placed the only copy in a safe deposit box, where health care workers could not access it. To ensure your wishes will be carried out, it’s important to make sure everyone is on the same page.
~Nicole Krueger, 2010
If you’re interested in taking control of your end-of-life plans, check out The Funeral PrePlanning Guide or find out how you can draft your own affordable living will at the Valley of Life section of Legalzoom.com.
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