Living Will - Advanced Decision about Medical Care

Living Will Kit

What is a Living Will?

If you're concerned that you may become ill in the future, you can fill out a legal form now to determine your wishes and to specify the medical treatments that you don't want to receive.  For example, should you suffer from a terminal illness you can make a Living Will  (also known as an Advance Decision or Advance Directive) to refuse treatment that will prolong your life.

Alternatively, a Living Will form can be used to refuse a blood transfusion or organ donation on religious reasons.

Advance Decisions or Advance Directives also allow you to make specific requests regarding your treatment. Your wishes may be persuasive, but they will not always be legally binding on the doctors treating you.

What a Living Will form can do

An Advance Decision or Advance Directive will only come into effect if you're unable to convey your wishes because you're mentally or physically incapable to do so.

The Living Will included in this Kit allows you to appoint someone who the doctors can consult with regarding your health care.

What a Living Will can't do

Advance Decisions or Advance Directives cannot be used to make non-medical decisions, such as your financial matters (including how your care should be paid for).

In this case, you should use Lawpack's Power of Attorney Kit instead, which contains all the power of attorney forms you need to grant Power of Attorney over your financial affairs.

A Living Will form is not always legally binding. Only refusals of medical treatments or procedures will be binding on medical staff. You cannot use this Living Will template to specify the treatment(s) that you would like to be undertaken.

With a Living Will you make your wishes known and remove the burden of decision-making that loved ones would otherwise have to deal with. For example, should you suffer from a terminal illness you can make an advance decision in your Living Will to refuse treatment that will prolong your life. Alternatively, a Living Will can be used to refuse a blood transfusion or organ donation on religious reasons.

More information on Living Wills:

• What is a Living Will?
• Why draw up a Living Will?
• The benefits of drwaing up a Living Will