Living Wills

Living Wills are a vital piece of your estate plan. This document memorializes whether or not you wish to receive artificial life-prolonging procedures (“life support”). Life sustaining treatment is any medical device or procedure that increases your life expectancy by restoring or taking over a vital bodily function. This can be a drug, ventilator, surgery, therapy or artificially provided fluids and nutrition.

 Making this decision for yourself—and taking it out of the hands of your loved ones—bestows grace and humility upon your loved ones during a time of crisis. Your spouse, parent, or child should not have to make this stressful decision for you. Similarly, you should not have to make this stressful decision for your spouse, parent, or adult child. Affirmatively stating your end-of-life wishes while things are calm will bring peace during a time of immense pain.  Memorializing your treatment preferences in advance will help to avoid family conflict when you may be unable to verbalize your wishes.