Living Will vs Advance Directive: What Altoona Seniors Should Know
If you become incapacitated, would your loved ones know how to direct your healthcare? A recent survey by the Cleveland Clinic found that over 65% of patients didn't have a living will.
Living wills and advance directives are essential senior legal documents. They help ensure your wishes are followed for end-of-life decisions.
Many seniors here in Altoona, WI have questions about these important directives. One common question is living will vs advance directive. Learn more about the difference between a living will and advance directive so you can start your advance care planning.
Living Will vs Advance Directive
A living will is a type of advance directive. Advance directives are legal documents that specify your preferences for medical care if you aren't able to make the decisions yourself.
Advance directives are important for several reasons. You are more likely to get the medical care you want. You lessen the burden of decision-making on your loved ones and caregivers. An advance directive reduces the possibility for confusion or disagreement over the healthcare you would want.
What Is a Living Will?
Unlike a standard will, which covers your property and financial assets, a living will covers medical decision-making. A living will tells healthcare providers the treatments or care you would want or not want, and under what conditions. It includes your preferences for other medical decisions like organ donation as well.
Common end-of-life decisions that can be addressed in a living will include:
- Resuscitation by CPR or a defibrillator device
- Mechanical ventilation
- Tube feeding
- Dialysis
- Pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs)
- Comfort (palliative) care
You can specify if you would like to donate your organs for transplantation. If you have a medical school or university nearby, you may choose to donate your body for scientific research.
How to Establish a Living Will in Altoona
The laws for living wills vary by state. Wisconsin has a template that you can download or ask to have mailed to you. You may want to get legal advice, especially if you would like to include information beyond what is in the state template.
Reflect on End-of-Life Decisions
Before you can establish a living will or other advance directive, you need to decide what they will say. You may find it helpful to start by thinking about your values and desires for end-of-life care. For example, would you want invasive lifesaving treatment if you could eventually be well enough to spend time with your family?
Talking to your healthcare provider can be helpful as well. You'll learn about the kind of end-of-life decisions that are likely to come up based on your current health. A medical professional can explain the treatment options so you can make an informed decision for your living will.
Sign the Document
You need two witnesses for signing your living will. Witnesses must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Not be related to you
- Not be financially responsible for your health care
- Not have any claim to any portion of your estate
- Not be your healthcare provider or their employee
- Not be an employee of an inpatient healthcare facility where you're a patient
A chaplain or social worker can be a witness, even if they're associated with your healthcare provider or inpatient facility.
File the Living Will
You should keep the original of your living will in a safe but accessible location. This could be a fire safe in your home, a safe deposit box, or at your attorney's office.
You may choose to file a living will with the Register of Probate in the county where you live. The state of Wisconsin has currently set the fee for this service at $8.
Be sure to tell your close family and friends that you have a living will and where they can find it. You should also notify your primary care provider so they can add the document to your medical record.
Wisconsin recognizes the original document, a legible photocopy, or an electronic copy to be valid formats.
Update Your Living Will if Necessary
You can update your living will whenever you choose. Reviewing it at least yearly is a good idea because you may feel differently about your end-of-life care as time passes.
Other Types of Advance Directive
A living will is one type of advance directive, but you could benefit from establishing others as part of your advance care planning. Medical power of attorney is commonly paired with a living will. You may also want a do-not-resuscitate or do-not-intubate order.
Medical Power of Attorney
Medical power of attorney lets you designate someone to make healthcare decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated. That person is called your healthcare proxy. Your healthcare proxy can make decisions including:
- What treatments and medical care you receive
- Facilities where you receive care
- Which doctors and other providers deliver your medical care
Anyone who is 18 or older and of sound mind can create a medical power of attorney. The Wisconsin Department of Human Services has a template available, but you may also want to seek legal advice.
Do-Not-Resuscitate and Do-Not-Intubate Orders
Do-not-resuscitate and do-not-intubate orders aren't technically advance directives, but they work in a similar way to make your wishes known. A do-not-resuscitate order says that you don't want cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A do-not-intubate order refuses a feeding tube, breathing tube, and other related devices.
Wisconsin also recognizes an authorization for final disposition, in which you specify your preferences for a funeral ceremony or other last rites and the burial or other disposition of your body after death.
Start Your Advance Care Planning Today
When you compare a living will vs advance directive, you'll see that a living will is simply a type of advance directive. Advance directives help ensure your wishes are known and followed regarding your healthcare decisions. You and your loved ones have peace of mind knowing what you prefer even if you become incapacitated.
Oak Gardens Place in Altoona is a friendly and compassionate assisted living community. You'll benefit from features like a wellness center, hair salon, patio gardens, and chef-prepared meals. Our professional staff is dedicated to providing the support you need for worry-free living.
Schedule a tour of Oak Gardens Place today to see what assisted living has to offer.