Want to have a feeling of control over what happens to you at the end of your life? Preparing a living will ensure you get the treatment you desire if you cannot express your medical wishes. Having a living will also leave fewer tough decisions for your loved ones to make during a stressful time. Learn more about living wills and what the state of Florida requires concerning them.
A living will is a written declaration of the type of medical treatment you want or prefer not to receive in a situation where you cannot communicate your medical wishes. This document is given to your healthcare providers and your close family members. A living will only come into effect if you are unable to express your wishes, such as if you are in a prolonged coma, you are at the end stages of a terminal illness, or you have a severe injury that leaves you completely unable to communicate with speech, writing, gestures, and so on.
Adults who want to prepare for their end days and relieve their family members from making difficult decisions concerning their health care often make a living will to request or refuse certain treatments that could extend their life. It is common for people diagnosed with a terminal illness to create a living will.
You can change your living will at any time. Whether you have a change of heart concerning the decisions you made or certain life changes have occurred that make you want to change an aspect of your living will, all you have to do is create a new living will and destroy or revoke the old version.
The state of Florida requires the following stipulations when creating a living will:
The living will is considered effective from the moment it is signed. You do not need a lawyer to draft the living will for you. Once your living will is prepared, you can distribute copies of it to your healthcare team and close family members.
As previously mentioned, a living will in Florida state how and when life-sustaining treatment should be provided or withheld. This might mean you express your wish that the medical team does not attempt resuscitation if your heart stops beating. You can express your wish to be put on a breathing machine if you cannot breathe under your power or state that you do not want to have assisted breathing. You can state whether or not you wish to be fed through a tube. If your kidneys fail, you can state that you do or do not wish to receive dialysis treatments.
Living wills can also include your wishes concerning certain medications. For example, you can state that you do not wish to receive any antibiotics or antiviral medications at the end of your terminal illness. You can express your wish to receive pain medication to increase your comfort, or you can say that you would rather not receive pain medication.
Some living wills may express wishes concerning your desire to donate organs or tissues immediately following your death.
The experienced staff at My Living Wishes understands Florida’s various requirements for preparing living wills. We can guide you, answer your questions, and help you prepare your end-of-life documents. Are you ready to discuss your living will with a professional? We encourage you to contact us now.
