As we live our lives, we think about things we want to do, and we think of things we need to do. Rarely do people think about what could happen if they are unable to fulfill those plans. To handle such situations, the ‘living will’ was created 50 years ago. Today, every state has provisions for health care directives, which allow people to control their lives and their legacies if they are ever incapable of making health care choices.
The Background of a Living Will
Living Wills in Bel Air MD were created as a response to advances in medical technology. In the past, people usually passed away at home, but in modern times people are living longer with diseases previously considered terminal. Some treatments allow patients to live normal lives, but in other cases, the patient is left in a vegetative state. Here, conflicts often arise between patients’ families and physicians – leading states to pass laws allowing patients to create living wills.
Living Wills Explained
In a living will, a person states what kind of life prolonging treatment they want if they are ever incapable of making their wishes known. The purpose of an advance directive is to allow people to make their own health care decisions while they’re still able, sparing them suffering and unnecessary expenses. Living wills protect doctors from liability as long as the directives follow medical standards. However, living will laws don’t allow patients’ families to sue doctors for refusing to end life prolonging treatment. By visiting us website page, you can learn how a living will can protect you and your family.
Who can Benefit from an Advance Directive?
Making a living will is a personal choice which requires consideration of one’s own mortality. The financial and emotional cost of being kept alive with no chance at a normal life can be high, and many people create Living Wills in Bel Air MD to save more of their estates for their loved ones. A living will is one type of end-of-life planning, and it is not meant to replace a conventional will. This document prevents its creator from being kept alive while his or her estate is spent on medical bills. To protect yourself and your family, hire Michael S. Birch Attorney at Law to help you prepare an estate plan and a living will.
