Advanced Healthcare Planning/Living Wills

If you are unable to advocate for yourself, do your loved ones understand what medical care you’d want? Advanced healthcare planning makes sure they do.

Unburden Your Loved Ones by Creating a Living Will

In emergency situations at any age and at the end of life, many medical decisions need to be made. Learning what those decisions might be and then letting others know what decisions you’d make when you can’t speak for yourself is advance care planning.

A living will, also called an advanced directive, is a legal document that helps your medical providers and family understand what your preferences are for medical and end-of-life care when you are incapacitated. Examples of some of these decisions include if you want a feeding tube, ventilators, CPR or extraordinary medical intervention to keep you alive.

As part of advanced healthcare planning, you might talk to your healthcare providers about your current health status to determine what you might face in your future. Also consider your family medical history that could offer clues as to what health issues you might need to prepare for. There are many variables to consider. Your choices also might change as you get older or depending on what ails you.

These are very personal choices that do take some consideration as part of advance care planning. Your living will gives your medical care providers and your family an invaluable resource to help navigate your medical care when you aren’t capable of doing so.