3 Choices You Can Make Using a Living Will

 Posted on January 29, 2025 in Estate Planning

A living will is one of several very important advance directives that every adult should have in place. Your advance directives allow you to make certain decisions about your own medical care ahead of time in case you become incapacitated in the future. A healthcare power of attorney lets you name the person you would want to make decisions on your behalf. A living will lets you make some decisions on your own behalf more directly. When you are creating your living will, it is very important to think carefully about what types of treatments you would accept if you were incapacitated by a condition like dementia. Different people have different beliefs about end-of-life care. Some would want everything done to prolong their life, while others would prefer to be allowed to pass peacefully without being subjected to painful treatments first. A Cook County, IL estate planning attorney can help you create these essential documents.

When Does a Living Will Take Effect? 

Your living will does not take effect until you are both incapacitated, meaning that you are no longer able to make medical decisions for yourself and suffering from a terminal illness. Until you have a medical condition that will inevitably cause your death, your living will does not have an effect and you will continue to receive life-preserving care. Most people see their living wills take effect only in their last few months or years of life.

Would You Want Artificial Feeding to Prolong Your Life? 

Artificial feeding methods, including nasogastric tubes and IV nutrition, can be used to keep a person who has naturally stopped eating and drinking alive longer. Stopping eating and drinking is a normal and natural part of the active dying process. Artificial feeding can be used to forestall death in some cases, but many people would not want that.

Would You Accept Aggressive Treatments Like Surgery? 

Elderly people who are already incapacitated by a condition like Alzheimer’s when they are diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer or organ failure may not want aggressive and painful treatments such as chemotherapy or surgery. Consider that you likely will not be able to understand what is happening when you are given these unpleasant treatments. A living will lets you opt out of aggressive treatment measures in favor of hospice or comfort care.

Contact a Schaumburg, IL Living Wills Attorney 

Anderson Attorneys, P.C. is dedicated to helping people plan to receive the end-of-life care they would want. Our caring Cook County, IL advance directives attorneys can help you make these important decisions for yourself. Contact us at 847-850-8899 for a complimentary consultation.