President Obama’s pet project of health care reform seems to have a lot of people worried. His talk of living wills encouraging people to specify their end-of-life wishes in particular are the topics bandied about most often in tense (or downright frightened) conversations. Some people seem to think that the very act of specifying your wishes in a living will is going to put you on the Do Not Resuscitate list. We’re here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, creating a living will is a smart idea, one that can save no small amount of expense, suffering and confusion on the part of your family and your medical care providers, and we aren’t the only ones who think so. Robert Powell of The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch agrees with us, and has written an excellent article answering the frequently asked questions about living wills, explaining the differences between a living will and a health care directive, and outlining why each and every adult should have one of these documents.
If you still aren’t convinced you should have a document specifying your wishes for end-of-life treatment, talk to any friend or acquaintance who has been through this final act of love in supporting a family member at end of life. When you are ready, we can help you execute the documents you need to get the care you want when you aren’t able to care for yourself. A living will or health care directive is a standard document in any estate plan, so if you’ve been considering creating an estate plan this may be a good time to take the plunge. Apparently executing a living will or health care directive is no longer beneficial only to you and your family; it’s also good for your country.