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Writing up Living Wills
One of the surest ways to prepare for the future is through writing up living wills to deal with all unforeseen possibilities. It is often the case that people, even as they are getting older, and certainly while they are young, continue on as if they will never die. It is hard to thing about living wills or durable power of attorney, while you go about the day to day affairs of life, but the fact remains that terrible things do occasionally happen, and it is really best to be prepared. Each person should be able to make his or her own decision about when life has gone on long enough and the pain and difficulty of continuing are really too much, and living wills allow you to do that.
Basically, a living will is instruction for termination of life. If, for example, you believe that once your heart stops beating, or once your brain stops working, you do not want life support, you have the right to request that in living wills. You can also ask for no external feeding, and other such refusals of extraordinary measures. Of course, the laws are a little tricky, and often it is not completely your decision if you are hospitalized. The best way to insure that your end-of-life decisions are respected is to discuss it with all of the people who are likely to be part of the process at the time. Discuss the decisions that you are making in your living will with your doctor, as well as your family. While you are at it, it might be a good idea to get them to establish their own living wills so that their own wishes are respected. After all, there is no time like the present to prepare for the future.
One neat thing about living wills is that you can easily do them on your own. Although, when making any important legal decision, it is always a good idea to consult a lawyer, the fact is that the states have forms that are designed so that you can fill them out yourself. You can even download living wills on the internet. Then, it is simply a matter of filling it out, discussing it, and having it certified, and you will have the peace of mind which being prepared for an uncertain future always brings. And nothing can beat that!
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