Living Will – Guidance on Writing a Legal Living Will – Living Will Template, Example, Sample and

The road of life has many unexpected turns. Even a well-planned scheme can be vanished at once with the end of life. Mortality of man enforces one to make a decision of “Death” in some situations. It sounds very terrifying to plane for death. The whole thing discussed above related to Living Will.

What is the legal meaning and understanding of a Living Will?

It is a legitimate device formed and signed by the patient personally to specify what he/she will prefer to choose in the lethal stage of his/her life. In an unconscious state, where he is not able to add even a single word, this document speaks in place of the patients and explains the desire of the patient either he/she wants to continue medical support or not. In other words, either the patient wants to live on medical assistance.

Other names: Living will be known for different names as well given below

1. Health care directive
2. Advance directive
3. Personal directive
4. Medical directive
5. Advance decision
6. Physician’s directive

Why do you need a Living Will?

A living will be the important step taken by wise people, which helps the people out in the following happenings

1. when you meet an unexpected accident, that leaves you in a situation where the medication is the only interphase between you and death.
2. When a natural illness attack on you, and then suddenly become lethal.
3. When during any medical treatment, your medical staff informs you of the severity of the operation where equal probability exists that after operation maybe your condition will be worse than before.
4. When you do not let your family at an edge of an emotional valley. You do not want your family to do more expenses when all will set in vain.
5. When a patient thinks that it is better to exit the world than to live helplessly.

A living will Security:  Living Will provide security to the following people involved with patient

1. The living will secure the medical care staff of the patient. In cases where, a patient has not formed the living will but now in a situation, the staff consider it right not to carry on the treatment. In those cases, the patient’s family can create a dispute with the medical staff and this can be dangerous for the career of staff. Even these clashes can go ahead and take a real revenge shape.
2. The Living Will gives literally the satisfaction to the patient’s family that it is the decision made by the patient, either to meet the death or sustains his/her life. In case, where the patient does not carry any living will, the decision sometimes on the family members of the patient which make the situation more different and difficult. They in some time not in a condition to take the right decision.

So, it is the right of the patient to issue a living Will or nominate any member of the family to have the right to a signed living will in a case when the patient falls in such pathetic conditions.

A Living Will applicability and legal acceptance:

Different countries take Living Will differently and announced the legality of this document in different contexts. In the USA and Australia, this document has a legal position while in England and Hong Kong it is not announced as a legal document. Whenever the patient will sign this document, he/she must be in full consciousness and once this document is formed the holder has the right to review it after two years of its formation. To ensure the revision of the Living Will one can contact Professional Wills Ltd.  While the British Medical Association is in favor of this document and health care proxies. This means that you hire a person that will speak out in place of you when you are under the medical supervision this person will be called an agent.

As mentioned earlier Living Will is a legal instrument, it should be formed with full wisdom and discussion. The patient should make a deep conversation about his decision he/she wants to outline in the Living Will. The medical staff should be well aware of the treatment and its consequences and should assist the patient to reach a conclusion. If the patient has already his Living Will with his/her, then it is the choice of the medical institute either it wants to treat the patient or not. The living will have not earned an important position in many cases as in euthanasia (that is called good death in one sense because the patient insists to be dead for the sake of peace and to prevent himself to face painful situations due to treatment or illness).

Step to set up the living will

A Living Will be formed with great concern. Every citizen of a country must have a Living Will. But the question arises here is that how a common man is enough able to form a good Living Will. Good in a sense it satisfies all the rules and regulations, the state where he lives, allows this document.

These rules and regulation imposed on this tool are given below

1. In some states, it is compulsory to join the Living Will with another document that is called a durable power of attorney (DPOA). Otherwise alone Living Will not be accepted.
2. In some regions, it is stated that there should be a proxy with the Living Will. That will communicate with the medical staff and inform the medical care staff about the patient’s will.

As discussed above, every country or region has its own mindset related to the Living Will. So, by keeping all the points into accounts ones should meet a lawyer that will guide about the important points that should be included in the document.

The information included in the Living Will depends on the patient.

Applicability duration of Living Will

The Living Will, if there is no healthcare proxy, involves, will end with the life of the patient. But if that agent has associated with the Living Will then some more important decision, he can make like the decision about the organ donation of the patient, etc.

Living Will Template

The pdf and word files of Living Will Template are available for download at the end of this article for free. Also, you can read the content of our living will template here:

Template of Living Will

Date: ____________

I__________(Declarant name), has residential by the address______________ (street)___________________,(city)_____________________________________(state),_______________________(Zipcode),with__________________________(contact number)___________________(Email.ID), under full control of my consciousness and awareness with the matter declared the herein statement related to my health-treatment as my consent and announced this as legal document of my desire.

I declared herein______________________________________(name),residing at________________________________________(streetaddress)___________________,(city)_________________________________(state),_______________________(Zip code), associated with ___________________________(Institute name),_____________________________________________________________(contact number),___________________(Email.ID), as my health care advocate as well as my agent to take all the decisions in those situations in which I become impair to add a single word. He has all the rights to make decisions in also those situations when I find chronic illness and medical dependent state. My announced agent and health care advocate shall have all the power to deal with all the matters relating to the health maintenance, medical management and wellness program in the case when my physician, primary medical staff proclaim myself not in a condition to make decisions. To make clear fully the time/state of affairs when the agent will be able to use the power of decision making on the behalf of me.

1. Falling into the senseless state
2. Being diagnosed with the chronicle chronic illness
3. Falling in an unreinforced condition

If anyone of the incidents mentioned above happens to me then my willing is not to use any of the medical services mentioned below

• My desire is to not served by cardiac resuscitation (CPR) as my long-life assistance.
• My desire is to not treated in the respiratory or ventilatory state.
• I do not prefer the use of the artificial feeding and hydration process to save my life longer
• My wish is to not receive and blood transformation
• My desire is to not receive any kidney dialysis treatment

Declarant printed name:                _____________________

Declarant signature:                       _____________________

Witness personal information:

1^st witness printed name:   ________________

Address: _______________________________________________

Telephone number:            __________________

Email Id:                             __________________

Designation:                       __________________

Relation with declarant:    ___________________

1^st witness signature:        ___________________