Living Wills Lawyers in Orlando, Florida

A living will is a legal document that tells doctors, physicians, and your loved ones what your wishes are regarding the kind of medical care you want to receive should you become incapacitated and unable to make medical decisions for yourself. A living will can help doctors understand whether you want them to do CPR if your heart or breathing stops, can let doctors know if you would want to be on life support if there is no reasonable possibility that you’ll get better, and can also let doctors and your family know whether you want to donate your organs and tissues. Legal Counsel, P.A. in Orlando, Florida which employs a living will lawyer who can help you draft a living will that will make clear your wishes. While a living will should be part of any end-of-life planning, especially for older Americans and those with a terminal illness, younger adults should also consider having a living will in place that can offer guidance to doctors and family should they become seriously injured or fall suddenly ill. Have questions? We have answers. Contact Legal Counsel, P.A. today at 407-982-4321.

What Should Be Included in Your Living Will? 

If you have been given a diagnosis of a terminal illness, before you write your living will, you may want to speak to your doctor about the likely progression of your illness. Your doctor can go over the kinds of treatment options available to you and help you understand the potential benefits and drawbacks of each treatment plan. When it comes to managing a terminal illness or a progressive illness, patients may have a range of choices. For example, would you prefer to receive palliative care, comfort care, or do you want aggressive treatment to prolong your life? Every patient will have different boundaries and values when it comes to treating a terminal illness. What are some things you might want to think about when drafting your living will? Here are a few medical decisions you can outline:

• Would you want to be resuscitated if your heart stops beating?
• Life support. Do you want to be placed on life support if you cannot breathe for yourself? If you cannot feed yourself, would you want to be fed through a tube?
• At what point would you want to stop this treatment? Should you become unconscious and unlikely to wake, should doctors stop dialysis?
• If you are near the end of your life, doctors may have to make a critical decision about administering antibiotics. If, for example, you develop pneumonia, antibiotics could prolong your life, but if you are near the end of life, doctors can also choose to not administer antibiotics and give you pain management treatment instead.
• Palliative Care. Comfort care, or palliative care can take on many forms. Would you want to be at home or would you want to be in the hospital? The type of pain medication you receive can also vary. For example, some pain medicine is very strong and can leave you groggy or unconscious while other types of pain medicine might leave you conscious, but experiencing some pain.
• Organ donations. You can specify whether you want your organs or tissues donated in your living will.

These are some of the considerations you may need to make in your living will. If you are currently healthy, a living will might address some of the broader and more common issues, like resuscitation, life support, and organ donation. If you have a terminal illness, your living will might be more specific because your doctor can give you more information about your treatment options and the likely course of your illness. Legal Counsel, P.A. employs a living will lawyer in Orlando, Florida who can help you draft a living will that will best meet your needs. Have questions? We have answers. Contact Legal Counsel, P.A. today at 407-982-4321.

Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment, POLST 

If you have been diagnosed with a terminal illness or serious illness, you can have your doctor fill out a POLST form which will serve as doctor’s orders for the kinds of treatment you want to receive. This form should not replace a living will, but it is a good idea to provide your doctor with your living will and ask him or her to fill out a POLST form. The POLST form can outline the kinds of treatments that are permitted and can provide details to nurses and other physicians about whether you want CPR, life support, antibiotic treatment, and details about palliative care. Legal Counsel, P.A. employs a living will lawyer in Orlando, Florida who can help you draft a living will that you can present to your doctor. If you have a terminal illness, your doctor can use your living will when creating your POLST form. Have questions? We have answers. Contact Legal Counsel, P.A. today at 407-982-4321.

Who Should Get a Copy of Your Living Will? 

In order to ensure that your wishes are honored, you may want to give your living will to family members, your doctors, and to any care facilities that handle your medical care and treatment, including nursing homes. A living will can offer your family the guidance they might need should they ever have to make a tough medical decision on your behalf. This can give you peace of mind that your children or parents will never be put in a tough position about having to choose whether to “pull the plug” because your living will can specify to doctors and to your family exactly what you want. Legal Counsel, P.A. employs a living will lawyer in Orlando, Florida who can assist you. Have questions? We have answers. Contact Legal Counsel, P.A. today at 407-982-4321.

Create Your Living Will Today 

Legal Counsel, P.A. employs a living will lawyer in Orlando, Florida who can help you with this critical legal document. While it might be tempting to use a living will template from the internet, if these forms are out of date or don’t address your unique medical needs, your family might still face tough decisions should you be unable to make medical choices for yourself.  Learn about how we may be able to include your living will as part of an estate planning package, or as part of your end-of-life planning. Have questions? We have answers. Contact Legal Counsel, P.A. today at 407-982-4321.