A Living Will is intended to convey your instructions for life-sustaining medical treatment in the event of a terminal illness or serious accident. It names someone to serve as your agent. This person, often a spouse or family member, consults the information provided in the documents and makes decisions about your care. Without a Living Will, you risk having decisions about your medical treatment made without consultation. This includes starting, maintaining, and ending life support systems, even if the person in control knows that the decision is against your wishes. Without a Living Will, your family members and loved ones may disagree about the right course of action in an emergency.  Often, it is easier for people to make life and death decisions when they are guided by your wishes in a Living Will. It also reduces the stress on loved ones at an already stressful time. Additionally, your wishes are more likely to be followed and respected by your loved ones if they have guidance in writing. A Living Will is not the same as a Last Will and Testament. The Living Will does not provide instructions for any disposition of your property after your death, with the exception of organ donation. Living Wills also do not cover every situation. For example, you may need treatment that is not contemplated by your Living Will. In this situation, you will need an agent appointed by a Medical Power of Attorney to make medical decisions for you when you are incapacitated. In addition to a Living Will, you should also create a Medical Power of Attorney (also called a “Healthcare Power of Attorney”). With this legal document, you will appoint someone to make medical decisions for you should you become incapacitated. Whereas a Living Will only applies if you are in a terminal condition, a Medical Power of Attorney will apply so long as you are incapacitated.  In the Medical Power of Attorney, you appoint an agent who can consent, refuse, or withdraw consent for any type of medical care or procedure. For more information on medical power of attorney, consult wikiHow’s How to Write a Medical Power of Attorney. POLST programs are designed to assure that the medical treatment wishes you express are honored by health care professionals as you move from one health care setting to another. They are available in about a dozen states. POLST programs are helpful if the health care workers do not have access to your Living Will, or if your Living Will is not specific enough to envision the different treatments that you may or may not want.  POLST can substitute for a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order. With a DNR, you can state that you do not want CPR. However, a POLST is much broader and also states your wishes with respect to intubation, antibiotic use, and feeding tubes.  Doctors sometimes will also ignore a Living Will. For this reason you should create a POLST, if one is available in your state. To make sure that your wishes are carried out, you will need a Living Will, a Medical Power of Attorney, and a POLST. All are necessary, especially if you are facing an imminent end-of-life situation.

Summary:
Know the purpose. Learn the risks not having a Living Will. Understand the limitations. Create a Medical Power of Attorney. Create Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST).