What You Should Know About Living Wills

A living will is an important component of an estate plan that allows you to leave instructions to your health care surrogate regarding your medical desires. With a living will, you can achieve greater peace of mind that you will get the care you desire, and prevent your family members from having to decipher what they think your wishes would have been should you become incapacitated.

Here are a few key pieces of information you should know about living wills and how they work:

• Binding: A living will is not just a set of guidelines—it is a binding legal document.
• Doctor determinations: Doctors will determine whether you are incapacitated before a health care surrogate makes medical decisions on your behalf through a living will.
• You can amend it: Living wills can be changed. The best way to do so is to revoke the initial living will and create a new one. No one can change the contents of your living will but you.
• Beneficial for all ages: Living wills aren’t just necessary for people who are older. They are beneficial for people of all ages, because you never know when you might experience a tragic accident or significant illness that could threaten your life.
• Different from surrogate designation: A health care surrogate designation gives another person the ability to make decisions on your behalf. A living will simply outlines the decisions you want to be made.

For more information about the benefits of living wills, contact an experienced Tampa, FL estate planning lawyer at BaumannKangas Estate Law.