A living will is a special document that has legal and binding authority. It is written specifically by a person to detail his wishes and requests covering specific medical procedures and treatments needed in case of adverse medical conditions. If you become unable to speak or decide about getting medical attention, the living will could be your way of being in control and having to decide for your life. The decision could not be made on the moment itself but it could be written in anticipation.
There are just many other information and things people should learn about living will. In definition, a living will, and all other legal advance directives, is a written instruction about a persons specific medical care preferences and choices. If you make one, your family and your doctor would automatically consult the document in case you become unable to decide for yourself regarding significant medical treatments and procedures. Take note that the document could be drafted and prepared by you, but there should be legal or lawyers assistance and presence to make it valid and binding.
For sure, the living will may not be equally important and necessary as a will (last testament) or a living trust, but more and more people nowadays are deciding to have one, with regards to high medical costs. In comparison, a last will (more popularly known simply as will) is also a legal document that is duly signed by a person in the presence of a legal witness who describes how that person wishes his assets and wealth to be divided by family and descendants upon death. Most opulent people are advised to have a will at hand. In fact, some wealthy individuals start to write their will early in life and subject that testament to numerous modifications and changes as time goes on.
For its part, the living trust is mostly considered as an alternative to will or last will. It also details distribution of estate of a person during and beyond his lifetime. The owner of the estate designates a trustee to manage all his declared assets, which would then be automatically transferred into the possession of the trustee. Thus, in a living trust, the person or estate owner need not be dead for the assets to be turned over to other people.
Any person could always specify in the living will the desire to have any of body organs removed and donated to other people who need transplants. Some people still are not aware of this. The body could even be donated to any medical school that is always in need of corpses for medical and scientific studies.
A living will is effective only when the person becomes incapacitated. He should not be able to decide or say what treatments he wants or not wants. Normally, in such instances, it is the family who takes the burden of decision. But people who want to spare their family from making such difficult task decide to pre-empt any medical decision through having a living will.
Before the living will is implemented, there must be a necessary and appropriate certification from a doctor that the person is truly suffering from a terminal condition or that he is permanently unconscious.
