how to make a living will
before making a living will it s best to understand that it will not serve as a last will and testament whereby property and personal effects are allocated to others upon death a living will stipulates the type and levels of medical care one receives if incapacitated and for how long the living will details the goals and wishes of a person in the event they can no longer care or make decisions for themselves when creating a will consider how you want to integrate your personal or religious beliefs into the care received it might be helpful to segment the living will into categories of care you could first identify the circumstances in which care should be extended to preserve life and what types of life saving or preserving care such as blood transfusions and dialysis should be administered include a category to address whether you want care if you are in a vegetative or unconscious state indicate where you want to receive medical care nursing home at home or in some other facility you can also request how nutrition will be provided whether it be given intravenously by mouth or withheld another category to consider is pain management indicate the types and levels of treatment to manage pain you can further break down this category into life sustaining pain management and pain management in lieu of life sustaining care if you have family or friends who will be responsible for overseeing your care discuss your plans with them it might be helpful to include them in the decision making process as they might have insight into areas otherwise overlooked when planning alone lastly enlist the help of a professional such as an estate planner or attorney these experts can help you make decisions for the best possible outcomes healthcare proxyin addition to the living will one can select a health care proxy who is allowed to make decisions if they are incapable of making those choices some states call this individual a healthcare power of attorney living wills cover many medical decisions but a health care proxy can consult with the doctor on other issues that may arise 