Handbook
• LIVING WILL
A Living Will is totally different from the Will described previously. A Living Will
would be easier to understand if you called it a Directive to Physician. That is, in
the Living Will you are giving directions to your physician as to the types of
medical treatment you want or don’t want. It is often used to refuse extraordinary
treatment when there is no hope of recovery.
Unlike a Health Care Proxy, a Living Will does not name an individual to make
health care decisions for you. Therefore, if you have no one you can trust, who is
available or who is strong enough to make health care decisions for you, you
should consider a Living Will as an alternative to a Health Care Proxy.
Even though John did not have a Health Care Proxy, where he would have named
an individual to make health care decisions for him, he could have directed his
physician and his health care decisions if he had made his wishes known in a
Living Will.
