Living wills in Lombard cover what many people understandably regard as difficult situations and challenging decisions in the event of incapacitation. However challenging, these legal documents are often necessary for people who expect to in some way lose mental wherewithal or expect incapacitation. If you feel as though you fit into one of these categories, it is important that you reach out to an attorney to discuss your legal options and retain some measure of control over the uncertain future.
An individual could specify in their living will whether or not they would want ventilation, intubation, certain types of intravenous medications, blood transfusions, or feeding tubes administered to them in the event that they are incapacitated. Medications to help cope with pain and discomfort, as well as medical interventions that would entail machinery or facilitate breathing, may be addressed in a living will as well.
A living will could be overwritten if a physician has not determined or is unable to confirm that the patient is afflicted with a terminal condition. If a doctor refuses to verify in writing that the patient is afflicted with a terminal condition, the living will might not be effective in order to avoid or initiate treatment.
Pursuant to the law, a healthcare proxy is an agent named as an Illinois healthcare power of attorney.
Any individual over the age of 18 is eligible to be a designated healthcare proxy; however, a healthcare proxy cannot be the individual’s treating physician, a nurse, or an employee at a nursing facility in which the individual resides.
The healthcare proxy has the duty to make medical decisions for the principle, or the individual who has appointed them to be their healthcare proxy, in the event that the principal cannot consent to treatment, participate in patient discharge, arrange for caregivers, or make other healthcare decisions for themselves.
In the estate-planning process, a living will is part of a holistic health plan for not only what is to be done with an individual’s property, but what they want regarding medical care in the event that they become disabled and cannot make decisions for themselves. Much like a will or a trust, a living will is a statement to everyone else indicating that an individual’s expectations for death-delaying treatment.
If an individual’s family members do not want to follow the advanced directive, there may be the opportunity for legal intervention; however, an advanced directive could be invalidated if the individual was found to lack decision-making capacity at the time that it was prepared, though such a circumstance would be rare.
In the event of future incapacitation, it is important to have a drafted living will in Lombard which covers what you wish to happen to you and your estate. These documents, while daunting in concept, are important for people like yourself who wish to retain control over their lives in the event of a catastrophe or expected incapacitation. Call to speak with a lawyer for more information today.
