It can be difficult to talk to your loved ones about your end-of-life wishes, yet it’s incredibly important for you and the ones you’ll leave behind. If you are like more than 70% of the population, you want to spend your last days at home, surrounded by family. Unfortunately, that only happens in a few situations. Much of the time, people don’t get to spend their final days at home because there was no living will in place.
In California, a living will is called an Advance Health Care Directive. This document intends to define your wishes and to assign an individual to see that they are met. It is a legal document that lets your physician, family, and friends know your healthcare preferences. This will include your wishes regarding:
Anyone who is 18 years old or older should have an Advanced Health Care Directive in place. Even though it may seem unnecessary to start thinking about the end of your life so young, it’s actually an incredibly positive and empowering action to take. Some other reasons to have a living will include:
A California Living Will may be drafted as part of your long-term plans or you may wish to draw one up in response to a recent change in your health. If your Advanced Health Care Directive is notarized and witnessed, it may help legally protect your document if its authority is challenged. Do keep in mind that a Living Will is not valid during pregnancy in California.
It’s important to discuss your options for health care treatment at the end of your life with your family, attorney, and doctors. Even more importantly, you need to make sure you have your wishes in writing so there’s no question or conflict when the time comes. Some questions to consider for these conversations include:
When you complete the Advanced Care Directive form for California, you have a legal document that details your medical wishes and designates a Health care agent (someone who makes decisions for you). There are a couple of different way to create a living will in California.
Making sure that your wishes are carried out at the end of your life is important, and an Advanced Health Care Directive is vital. Get started with My Living Wishes now and you can have peace of mind today.
