RANDY & ALL?? Check THIS important info out! Re: Living Wills (Links included)
Simplify Your Life with a Living Will
Creating a living will is the greatest thing you can do for yourself,
those you love, and those who love you. By clearly stating your wishes
in a living will, you remove the ambiguity during an already emotional
and difficult time for everyone involved.
Luckily, it is very easy to make a living will. A living will is simply
a legal document that specifies how you want to be treated medically in
case you become incapacitated. In other words, if it is clear that
death is imminent or a state of coma becomes permanent, and you have a
living will in place, you will have decided ahead of time whether or
not to be kept on artificial life support.
In addition to having a living will, experts also advise that you
designate one person -- usually a relative or good friend -- to make
the medical decisions for you, if you can't make them yourself. That's
called giving durable power of attorney for health care. Together,
these documents are called advance directives.
Ready for the simple way to create your own living will?
1. Get a Free Form
In many cases, you can create your own advance directive for free.
Remember that different states have different regulations regarding
living wills, so be sure to find a form from your own state. You can
find these forms in a state-by-state listing at
http://www.legaldocs.com/htmdocs/livin_st.htm
In addition, federal law makes it mandatory that all hospitals provide
forms and information for living wills -- all you have to do is ask.
Attorneys charge an average of about $320 to create a living will. Some
online services create them for you for anywhere from approximately $39
to $79.
One of these sites is called Legal Zoom at
http://www.legalzoom.com/legalzip/living_wills/lw_procedure.html
This site does not offer attorney services -- they simply exist to help
you act as your own attorney. They will walk you through the same
questions an attorney would ask, you submit the answers, and they send
back a document that you can use.
2. Do Some Research
While getting the legal document is easy, answering the questions on
the forms and making tough decisions about your own life and death
healthcare may not be. So before you proceed, it's a good idea to
educate yourself.
A good place to start is the Family Doctor Web site at
http://familydoctor.org/003.xml
This site is hosted by the American Academy of Family Physicians, and
does a great job answering questions from a medical perspective.
Your second visit should be to the site of the American Bar
Association. This site does a good job answering questions and helping
you formulate your values, but does not create the actual living will
for you.
3. Make Your Wishes Known
Once you've thought about your values and filled out your forms, your
next job is to make it easy for family, friends, and healthcare
providers to find your advance directive. If you get into an accident
and wind up in the hospital, your relatives and friends may not be
around, and unless you carry a card with you at all times specifying
who these people are, the hospital will not know who is in charge if
you are incapacitated.
So you need to take four additional steps:
1. Make copies of your document and give them to relatives and friends.
2. Be very clear with the person to whom you have given durable power
of attorney. This should be someone who knows you well, and who is
competent and capable. Make sure he or she knows exactly what you want
done.
3. Make a little card to put in your wallet with names and phone
numbers of your contacts.
4. File your will with the U.S. Living Will Registry. There is no
charge to file. This is an organization that is funded by healthcare
providers, so they can check to see if you are registered in the event
of an accident. You can find them at
http://www.uslivingwillregistry.com
So, now you have everything at your fingertips to create your own
living will. For the sake of your loved ones, take this responsibility
seriously and please don't delay.
If you have a friend or family member who can benefit from this advice
on living wills, be sure to forward this letter along.