What is a living will, and do you need one?

What is a living will and why are they important?

A living will is a legal document that informs healthcare professionals on how you would like to be treated if you are unable to make healthcare decisions on your own. For example, you may be unable to make treatment decisions for yourself if you’re in a coma or have dementia. Living wills are typically used for end-of-life medical care. A living will is different from a last will, which determines what happens to your assets when you pass away.

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What goes in a living will?

The purpose of a living will is to communicate which life-sustaining medical treatments you are okay with based on your values, preferences, or religion. Life-sustaining medical treatments are ones that can help keep you alive but won’t cure you. Some treatments that are discussed frequently in living wills include:

• Ventilators
• Dialysis
• Artificial nutrition

There are a variety of different reasons why someone might want to deny certain medical treatments. For example, a person may want to deny certain medical treatments because they don’t have health insurance and don’t want to burden their family with medical bills. Someone could also deny a blood transfusion for religious reasons.

Who should have a living will?

Living wills are often drawn up when a person is elderly or has a terminal illness. However, any adult should consider making one, at any age—even if they are in perfect health. No matter your age or how healthy you are, a sudden accident or illness can cause you to become incapacitated. It’s best to plan ahead to make sure your wishes are considered.

Your living will can be adjusted whenever you wish. For example, if you create a living will in your 20s, you can still modify which treatments you want or don’t want in your 70s.

How do you create a living will?

Follow these steps to create a living will.

1. Consider your personal values. Would you rather be comfortable? Or would you rather extend your life for as long as possible, even if it means you may experience discomfort? What treatments are you not okay with? How long do you want certain treatments to go on for? For example, you may be okay with having a feeding tube, but you may not want to have one for months. Your personal values will help guide your living will.
2. Talk to your doctor. Your doctor knows the full details of your health. They can also help explain different end-of-life treatment options you may want to learn more about, or what those options may mean for you.
3. Do your research. Every state is different—do your research about living wills in your state. You typically don’t need a lawyer to create a living will, although you can get one to help you create your living will if you prefer. Most states have a free living will template online. Make sure to read the directions carefully as you may need witness signatures or notarization.
4. Reassess your will periodically. Once you’ve created your living will, reassess it once per year, as the care you’d like to receive may change. You should also revisit your living will if you experience a new illness or health concern.

Where should you store your living will?

It’s important that you give your living will to your healthcare proxy, a person who you trust to make medical decisions for you. You also want to provide a copy to your relatives, loved ones, and your healthcare providers. Consider storing your living will in Microsoft OneDrive so that it’s backed up and accessible anywhere. Hard copies of documents can be lost or misplaced, but a digital version of your living will won’t be. You can share the link to your living will in OneDrive with your loved ones so that they can also access the latest version.

When it comes to budgeting and financial planning, it’s never too early to start planning ahead. Up next, learn what estate planning is and who should do it.