Why you need a living will

I'm often asked why you need to have a living will in place as part of your estate planning.



There are two advanced directive documents that address your healthcare decisions: a living will and a healthcare power of attorney. The POA names a person to make end-of-life medical decisions for you in the event you are unable to do so, and the living will covers the medical treatments you would and would not want to be used to keep you alive if you are incapacitated and unable to express yourself.

Lifesaving medical measures covered in a living will include things like CPR, a breathing tube, or nutritional or hydration measures.

Sometimes people are fearful this document opens the door to “having the plug pulled” prematurely, but the verbiage stipulates that surrounding doctors must be in agreement that death will occur in a short and specific period of time.

These documents are not just for senior citizens. You never know what life holds. There could be an accident or catastrophe and you’d suddenly become incapacitated. Without these documents in place, your family would be left with the burden of guessing what you would have wanted to do.

Drafting the documents is a simple process that takes two visits to my office. You can change your directives any time. The will of a 20-year-old often looks very different than one of an 80-year-old.

This time of year, I prepare healthcare powers of attorney for parents who would like access to their children’s medical information and make decisions if needed when they go off to college.

I tell my clients when they have them done, it’s important to let their doctor’s office know so they get into the system and the family doesn’t need to go looking for them when the time comes.

Margaret T. Karl, Attorney at Law, is located at 25800 North Depot Street, Suite 102, in Olmsted Falls. Call 440-782-5051 or visit OlmstedOhioLaw.com.