Do You Need a Living Will?

A living will is document that details your desires regarding end-of-life decisions. It records whether you wish to receive treatments to sustain your life, including resuscitation and feeding, if you become incapacitated and are unable to communicate your wishes.

A living will can be beneficial for a number of different reasons:

• It removes the heavy weight of decision-making from your loved ones if you become incapacitated. Your desires are already documented.
• Your desires regarding whether you want certain treatment or not can be followed. A living will, therefore, puts you in control.

Even when you have a living will in place, you still have the right to make decisions as long as you are not incapacitated. The living will springs into existence only when you can no longer communicate your desires or make your own decisions.

Finally, some people think that they have a living will simply because they have communicated their wishes to their spouse, other family member or close friend. However, that is not the case. Your family or the hospital may not actually go along with what you wanted without written proof of your desires.

Yes, you should have a living will. All adults should, even if they are young and healthy. Our experienced and compassionate Tampa estate planning lawyers can help you draft a living will that documents your wishes.