Most hospitals have a form type you can fill out and have notarized. A lawyer will make a production out of it and charge $$$$
We had ours done by a lawyer but only because he was filing the paperwork for an LLC for us, and threw that in for free. It was basically a template, though. I wouldn't think a lawyer would be necessary.
I have Humana Medicare Advantage plan, and one of the benefits is being able to make the living will, where you can decide what you want to happen if you are unable to make the decision, maybe because you are in a coma, or just not capable of making medical decisions anymore. Humana has an app called “My Directives”, and you can fill out everything online, and also designate who should make the decisions if you are not able to do so. It is free to make the living will, and since Humana has this, maybe some of the other medicare insurance companies would have it as well. When I looked up the app, it says it is from the My Directives website, so it would appear that anyone could download the free app and set this up, regardless of your insurance company. It does not say that it is a Humana app specifically.
A lawyer not necessary for a living will. Anyone can fill one out. Mine is do not resinate. If you want medical people or the hospital to try and keep you alive by all means, you can express your wishes. The form is not complicated.
Here are the differences between an Advance Directive and a Living Will. A living will is a type of advance directive that outlines your preferences regarding life-sustaining procedures and end-of-life medical treatment. You may want to do both to cover all situations.
I hate standardized DNR’s because it means what it says. If I have a heart attack and it quits ticking and I’m out then that’s all she wrote with a DNR. No shock. No adrenaline. No CPR. No nothing. If I can be brought back and it’s assumed that I will maintain some quality of life then wake my butt up. On the other hand, I don’t want to be hooked up to a lot of gear and be brain dead to boot. Unplug it and let me go home. My wife is my living will and she knows what I’m about but at some point I’m going to have to type out my own preferences so there are no misunderstandings and then give a copy to the VA and to my doctor.
If you’re referring to being unable to live without being hooked up to a machine for the rest of my days it’s a no brainer for me. I’ve never been afraid to die and if I can have a decent quality of life after an event then I’ll take it but otherwise……..let me finish dying.
I agree 100%. But nothing can possibly anticipate all outcomes and the nuances of every scenario, that's all I was saying. And I hate to discount my survival instinct.
I’d like to think that I’d be more in line with what my dad did. Whilst being wheeled into the hospital with his 3rd heart attack he told everyone to “let me go”. There were other complications which probably aided with his decision but still, he had the nads to realize that life wasn’t going to be like he would want it to be and pretty much said I’m ready. But like you wrote, ya never know what instinct will do.
My mother said the same thing when she was hospitalized the final time; she was so tired of all the treatment and realized her normal life was already over. It was heart-breaking to us but she was so weak and tired of hospitals; she passed away the next morning.
I knew my wife did not want to be machine prolonged life, when her cancer spread to her brain she was non functioning as far as being conscience and I told the medical staff to remove the hoses and pull the plug because that is what she ask me to do. That being said 9 years later it still haunts me watching her monitor flatline, it is one thing to know what your loved one wants but they don't have to plug the plug.
The benefits of modern medicine also bring with them a degree of control we mortals are not equipped to have. And as you said, it's a decision that cannot be undone being made in someone elses life. I can't imagine the conflict in complying with a loved one's wishes knowing it's the right thing to do, despite our human desire to do otherwise.
i am leaving a small amount ofmoney to my grandson--i have it in a savings at the bank-- i named him as beneficiary ithas his name and social security number on it---will he have a problem getting it when i take my last trip.