Living will

Living will

A Living will, also known as an advance directive, advance healthcare directive, or advance medical directive, is a legal document that provides instructions about future medical care in case a person becomes unable to communicate their decisions due to illness or incapacity.

Overview

The term "living will" is often used to refer to a document in which a person specifies what actions should be taken for their health if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves because of illness or incapacity. The living will is one form of advance directive, leaving instructions for treatment. Another form is a specific type of power of attorney or health care proxy, in which the person authorizes someone (an agent) to make decisions on their behalf when they are incapacitated.

Legal status

The legal status of living wills varies widely between jurisdictions. In some countries, such as the United States, living wills are legally binding and will be followed by healthcare providers under certain circumstances. In other countries, such as the United Kingdom, living wills are not legally binding but are usually respected by healthcare providers.

See also

• Advance healthcare directive
• Health care proxy
• Power of attorney
• Medical law
• Patient rights

External links

• NHS - Living wills
• Mayo Clinic - Living Wills

Living will Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? Need help finding a doctor or specialist anywhere in the world? Explore our world directory. WikiMD's DocFinder can assist you in locating millions of physicians.	Medical Knowledge Access the latest research - Most recent articles Ongoing trials.

Translate to: East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski