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People who are not educated about medical terminology often confuse having a will for having a living will. It is one of the questions that you will be asked when you go into the hospital. "Do you have a living will?". I have heard many people reply that they don't have any assets and therefore didn't think that they needed a will and what does that have to do with them being admitted to the hospital.

A living will is something that puts into writing the wishes that a person has when they are unable to make those wishes known because of their health. A lot of people will say that they have told their families that they do not want to be put on life support, however, when the time comes, many family members will go against their loved ones wishes and put them on life support. A living will puts into writing the wishes of the person making it more difficult for family members to go against their wishes.

There are several things that can be expressed in a living will:

1. Life Support. Most living wills will state that if there is no hope that the person will get better, they do not wish to be put on life support. A lot of living wills will state that if they have a reversible illness, they will agree to be put on life support.

2. Nutrition. This was one of the big issues in the Terry Shivo case. Should a person who really has no hope of getting better be given nutrition. To some people it may seem cruel to with hold nutrition. I once heard a Doctor make a very wise statement, "Is what we are doing prolonging their life or is it prolonging their death?"

3. DNR status. Now days in the hospital, a person can pick what they want done should they have a cardiac arrest or a Respiratory arrest. Does a person want to be shocked, do they want chest compressions, do they want drugs administered?

Other legal considerations that should be addressed is the Medical Power of Attorney. If you are too sick to make your own medical decisions, a person needs to be legally appointed to make those decisions for you. It is imperative that you make your wishes known to that person so that they do not have decisions placed on their shoulders.

Families who have someone dying are already under a lot of stress. It is important to have that living will in place so that everyone can be on the same page. This way no one comes under fire for being the one to "pull the plug".

The problem with living wills is that they are not considered to be a document that is legally binding. If a family wishes to go against a persons living will and place that person on life support, 99 times out of 100, I have seen the doctor go with the wishes of the family over the living will of the patient.

Put into place a living will. Discuss with your loved ones your exact wishes even if they don't want to listen. Death is as much a part of life as birth and it needs to be talked about with family members. It is a difficult subject and one that a lot of people don't want to talk about, but it is imperative to do so with loved ones. Make sure that when you are unable to make decisions, your wishes will be carried out.

Learn more about this author, Renee Dawson.
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