Most people do not think about writing a living will until they reach retirement, but in reality, you should have a will starting at the age of eighteen. You may not want to think about accidents, illness, or even death at such a young age, but if you want your care and your family’s welfare to go as smoothly as possible, you should consider drafting a living will for these five reasons.
It Protects You Should You Lose the Ability to Communicate
Should you be in a vegetative state that takes away your ability to communicate your wishes, a living will is there to ensure that you are receiving care that you approve of. You probably don’t want your life in the hands of others who do not know how you feel about life support or certain procedures, so a living will takes all of the guesswork out of your treatment.
It Prevents Arguments Between Your Family Members
If it is left up to your family members to make decisions regarding your medical treatment, it is likely that some family members will disagree on what actions to take. Because these decisions are literally life or death, these disagreements could potentially ruin lifelong relationships and take the focus away from your medical treatment.
It Allows You to Dictate Medical Treatments and Procedures
If you spell out exactly which treatments and procedures you want and which ones you do not want, you never have to risk undergoing a surgery that you do not approve of. Your doctors will be legally obligated to fulfill your wishes, which allows you to make the call and relieves them of making the decisions themselves.
It Reduces Medical Bills For Your Family
Many people do not wish to remain on life support for years on end, but if they don’t have a living will, their family will not know that. As a result, you could remain on life support for a long time, which could cause your family to go into immense medical debt. By putting your desires into your will, you will save your family a lot of guilt if they decide to take you off life support or a lot of money if they do not.
It Gives You Peace of Mind
The biggest reason for creating a living will is that it will give you peace of mind. You can rest assured that even if the worst should happen, you have a solid plan to get both you and your family through this tragic time. If you put it off, you could be leaving your health and your family’s welfare in the hands of someone who cannot make the best decisions for you.
