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Living Wills and Elder Care                                                             back to home page

With the intense media coverage of Terri Schiavo during the first quarter of 2005, much consciousness has been raised about having one as well as having someone who will follow through on our specific wishes.  There is a document that is more comprehensive which is entitled Five Wishes, distributed by the nonprofit Aging with Dignity.  The document allows you to explicitly state your preferences for medical care and asks them to name someone to make their health care decisions if they are unable to do so themselves.  It also permits users to state preferences about death at home, organ donation and funeral arrangements. 

Equally important is discussing these wishes with family and friends so that there are no misinterpretations.  The document costs $5 each and can be ordered in bulk ($25 for 25 copies).  Call 888-5WISHES

At www.MyHealthDirective.com Five Wishes documents purchased through them get a free year of secure online storage and are accessible with a user name and password.  Cost after the first year is $1 annually.  the site will store and post other types of advance directives for $2 per year. 

National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization offers free state specific advance directives.  It also includes advice for communicating your wishes to family and close friends.  Phone:  800-658-8898

ABA Common Legal Myths About Advance Medical Directives. Written by the group's Charles P. Sabatino, the list puts to rest 10 myths about advance directives. 

Mayo Clinic's advance directive resource.  This article provides an in-depth description of advance directives and how to create one.  Look for link to advance medical directives or put that term in the search engine. 

The National Right to Life Committee has a will to live that tells doctors to supply food, water and lifesaving treatment except in specific circumstances. 

If you need to find someone who specializes in elder law, contact www.naela.org.  That National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization has www.caringinfo.org with state-specific forms.  Call their hot line at 800-658-8898 for more information. The American Bar Association's www.abalawinfo.org and the Center for Practicing Bioethics at www.midbio.org offer detailed looks to help with decision making. 

End of life glossary
Which document is best?  The answer requires understanding the legalese of advance medical planning. 
Living Will - Instruction on treatment you would or would not want if you were terminally ill, permanently unconscious, or at the end stage of a fatal illness.  Can include instructions for continuing or discontinuing life support or other treatments.
Health care power of attorney (also called agent, surrogate, proxy) - A document in which you appoint someone to make health care decisions for you if you are unable to speak. 
Advance Medical Directive also called advanced health care directive or advance directive) - "An umbrella term that covers any decision that you make and put down on paper about what you'd want to happen (if) you're sick and no longer able to speak for yourself," says Paul Malley, president of Aging With Dignity.  There are many all-in-one advance directives available that allow people to combine their living will and health care power of attorney wishes into one document.