Living wills – publicity is publicity
President Obama’s proposed health care reform has brought some attention to end-of-life wishes and the preparation of a living will. I’m not going to wade into the political debate about health care reform. I believe, that at least cognitively, I’ve tried on every pair of shoes in the store and decided to go barefoot as it relates to politics steeped in dogma and a misunderstanding of history. I just can’t buy into the wild arguments coming from any prospective. But I am pleased that the debate (putting it nicely) has partially brought the focus to end-of-life wishes and living wills. Planning for end-of-life situations by preparing a living will is good for many reasons, namely:
- A living will allows you to control events even when you’re incapacitated.
- A burden of uncertainty is lifted from your loved ones.
- Your medical providers have a clear picture as it relates to a care plan.
- You can preserve your estate by denying costly procedures that you may not want.
In the end, your political views will not matter, you are going to meet the same earthly fate as everyone else and a living will may prove to be prudent whether you are a proponent of health care reform or not.
Death panel or no death panel – get a living will
It’s time to put all this silliness aside and plan for the future. A living will is a little like insurance, you may never need it but if you do it can be a positive thing. This is a good opportunity to get a free printable living will and take a few minutes to complete the paperwork. Living wills can generally be prepared without the help or expense of an attorney, and depending on your State of residency, it may or may not need to be notarized.
Give some thought to who will act as your health care surrogate. Your surrogate is designated in your medical power of attorney and will act on your behalf if you are unable to do so. Make copies of your living will and make sure that your health care surrogate, family, close friends and your doctor have a copy. Keep the original in a safe place and keep in mind that any new living will that you may prepare in the future will supersede the previous document.
Finally, stay in touch with your health care surrogate and consider naming an alternate surrogate in the event that your primary surrogate is unable to act on your behalf. Preparing a living will has nothing to do with your political preference or the current health care reform debate. It has everything to do about you making sound decisions that can affect you and your loved ones.
