You Are Never Too Old To Get A Living Will

What is your first thought that comes into your mind when someone mentions a living will? Probably someone hooked up on a life support system or someone who is in a coma. Maybe that person is young and has been in a car accident.

These are the sad cases and the ones that get in the news that we all remember. They happen to young people or people that have not had to think about dying until an accident makes them confront the reality of it all.

But when do the majority of people in the country really need a living will? Think about it. Probably when they near the end of life and are in the hospital with some decisions to make. At this time they might not be capable of making the decisions on their own anymore.

Only about 10% of the people nationwide have a living will. I would argue that everyone needs one. I would also argue that you should get one when you are young, but more importantly you should get one when you are still capable of making your own decisions about how you want your end of life treatment to proceed.

The medical field is changing rapidly. The definition of death is in a state of flux as the advances in medical care make it more confusing. There is one group advocating for the increased use of living wills, Respecting Choices, that has broken down the living will into three different stages, the last one being those with less than a year left to live. They propose that you update your living will as you move through these stages and your own physical condition changes. You will also be keeping up with the new changes in medical care and the choices available to you. Your living will is stored on the computer so that when you come into the hospital, it is easily accessible to the medical staff.

If you want to read more about making some plans for the end of life, visit preparingtodie.com.

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