What is a living will?





 

A:

A living will is a document that allows a mentally competent adult to state his or her preferences about the provision, withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining procedures in the event that the individual is unable to speak for himself or herself because of a permanent incapacitation.  Living wills come into play when a person has a terminal condition, an end stage condition, or if the person is in a persistent vegetative state.

Living wills are often used by people to state that they do not want any life-sustaining measures if they are in a terminal situation.  Alternately, they can be used to make it clear that an individual does want everything medically possible done to sustain their life if they are in a terminal or persistent vegetative state.

Living wills can be very specific or very general.  The level of detail you should include depends on your personal feelings about end-of-life healthcare.  Our elder law and estate planning lawyers are experienced with Pennsylvania living wills and can help you understand the pros and cons of including specific healthcare instructions in your living will.


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