St. Petersburg Living Will Attorney
A living will is an essential piece in any estate plan. With this document, clients can take control of the medical care they will receive in an end-of-life situation, including when they enter a persistent vegetative state. A living will can reduce family conflicts while also bringing clarity to how you want to die with dignity. To find out more about whether you need a living will, reach out to Fisher & Wilsey, P.A. to speak with a St. Petersburg living will attorney in a consultation. We have created many living wills as part of our comprehensive estate planning services.
How You Benefit from a Living Will
One primary benefit of a living will is the control it affords people over their medical care when they can no longer communicate their preferences. Each person has different desires regarding end-of-life care. Some want everything humanly possible done to prolong life, while others want fewer interventions.
So long as you can communicate your preferences, you can direct the care you receive. But a living will becomes effective when you become incapacitated, enter a persistent vegetative state, or suffer from a terminal illness and cannot express your wishes.
A living will works together with a healthcare surrogate. In the first document, you specify your medical preferences, including whether you want:
- Feeding tube
- Artificial respiration
- Resuscitation (such as CPR)
- Pain medication
With the designation of healthcare surrogate, you appoint someone to make decisions for you. We can discuss who would be an effective choice.
In addition to providing peace of mind, a living will can reduce family tensions after a tragedy or when an elderly parent reaches the end of their life. Children often have sharp disagreements about how much care a parent should receive, with some children wanting all interventions regardless of cost. A living will can make clear your desires and put an end to the disagreements. Family members will realize that your desires are controlling the care you receive.
Once created, a living will needs updating, depending on life changes. For example, you might reconnect with a lost religious practice and want to incorporate this into your end-of-life medical decisions. Or you could simply change your mind about the care you will receive. In other situations, you want to change the health care surrogate because your initial choice has moved or possibly predeceased you. We encourage everyone with an estate plan to regularly review it to ensure it remains aligned with their goals.
Speak with Fisher & Wilsey, P.A. Today
A living will is a critical document, and you should hire the right law firm to create this and other estate planning documents. Poorly drafted living wills create more problems than they solve, and a defective document could be legally ineffective. Get experienced legal help when drafting your estate plan, including all advance medical directives. Instead of relying on forms you find on the internet, contact our office to schedule a meeting with a St. Petersburg living will attorney.
