Living Wills: Does Your Senior Family Member Need One?

The main reason to make a living will is to establish your end-of-life wishes in a document that becomes active once a doctor determines you are unable to make your own medical decisions. Home Care Assistance of Dayton encourages seniors and their families to heed the following information to better prepare for unforeseeable life events.

What Is a Living Will?

Living wills are also known as advance directives. An advance directive is a document that outlines your wishes for medical end-of-life care, such as whether or not to continue life-sustaining treatments. You can supplement this with an additional document called a durable power of attorney, which allows someone else to make the decision whether to continue treatments. Most lawyers can assist you in drafting a living will to meet your state’s standards, or you can ask your doctor for a living will form to fill out.

When Should You Draft One?

A living will should be drafted when you are in good mental and physical health, and the document should be updated as needed over time. Ideally, it’s best to draft your living will before you reach your golden years, though anyone of legal age can make one. A living will provides family members some peace of mind at the end of a loved one’s life by relieving the burden of making medical decisions.
Having a living will in place is a useful strategy to prepare for any unanticipated events regarding your health and can save you and your family from added stress at an already difficult time.  If you have recently experienced a medical setback or accident and could use additional help, reach out to Home Care Assistance. With hourly or live-in senior care in Dayton, you’ll have the dependable support you need to move forward after an unanticipated medical diagnosis or accident. For more information, call a knowledgeable Care Manager at 937-353-7997 and request a complimentary in-home consultation.

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