A person who is terminally ill has very difficult decisions to make. When the chances of recovering from a debilitating disease are slim or none, a person is forced to weigh a number of factors, including the following:
- Cost of the medical treatment to his or her family
- How much of the cost of the treatment is covered by medical insurance, if any
- How much suffering is caused by the illness and/or side effects of the medical treatment
- To what extent the person is still able to enjoy life
What can be even more difficult is the situation faced by a patient’s family when the patient is unable to make medical decisions on his or her own behalf. Families may agonize over making the right medical decisions, and if the patient’s wishes were made explicit before he or she became incapacitated, family members may disagree about what the patient’s wishes would have been.
Making a living will can give your family the reassurance that they are respecting your wishes when making these decisions. A living will is a document written by a person who is legally competent that specifies what types of medical treatment are desired if he or she is severely disabled or suffering from a terminal illness. Kalamazoo or Grand Rapids living wills may be very general—for example, making the request to not be kept on artificial life support—or very specific, stating whether or not the person desires such medical services as pain relief, ventilators, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, artificial feeding, or hydration.
A living will is one of several advance medical directives, by which you can authorize another person to make legal and medical decisions in the event that you are incapacitated. Other advance medical directives are as follows:
- A health care proxy is a legal document that designates a person to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are unable to make your wishes known. Your health care proxy would have the same rights to request or refuse medical treatment that you would have if you were able to make decisions.
- A durable power of attorney is a legal document that gives a person you designate the power of attorney over your legal affairs if you have an incapacitating medical condition. The person will be able to pay bills, make bank transactions, and apply for disability on your behalf.
Many people choose to make a living will, and designate a health care proxy and durable power of attorney at the same time that they make their legal will, which specifies heirs and the distribution of their assets.
Willis Law, Attorneys & Counselors, have a dedicated team of experienced attorneys in West Michigan. A living will can be drafted along with your Kalamazoo or Grand Rapids legal will to ensure that your loved ones are provided for, and have the assurance that they are making the right decisions.
To get skilled legal advice on legal wills and living wills in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Paw Paw from an experienced estate attorney, please contact Willis Law, Attorneys & Counselors, toll free at 866-473-5636, or submit our online email form. We serve all of West Michigan.
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