What Is a Living Will?

An estate planning attorney near Glen Burnie can draft important legal documents, including living wills. A living will is also known as an advance care directive or a directive to physicians. As your car accident lawyer can explain to you, this document ensures that your healthcare preferences will be honored. This document goes into effect in the event that you fall into a coma or otherwise become incapacitated. To draft a living will, your car accident lawyer will ask you some questions about your healthcare preferences, such as what type of life support you wish to sustain you, if any. Many people instruct car accident lawyers to specify that palliative care be administered whenever necessary, but that lifesaving measures are avoided in certain circumstances. Palliative care is intended to ease discomfort.

It’s common for an estate planning attorney to draft a document known as durable power of attorney at the same time as a living will. This document designates a specific person to serve as your healthcare proxy. In other words, this person is responsible for making end-of-life medical decisions in accordance with the preferences stated in your living will.