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►What is a will?

►Who needs  a will?

►What can be accomplished by making a will?

►What happens when one dies without a will?

►What are the requirements for a valid will?

►A Last Will is different than a Living Will

►A Last Will is different than a Living Trust

►Last Will v. Power of Attorney

A Last Will is different than a Living Will

A Living Will is a separate legal document created for the purpose of expressing your final health care wishes (life support preferences, etc), and to appoint someone you trust to supervise the fulfillment of those wishes. That person is called health care agent. A Living Will may be called differently in your state: Health Care Directive , Declaration, Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, etc. It may also consist of two separate documents; for example, a Declaration and a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.

As the figure below suggests, a Living Will starts to "speak," to operate, only when you become incapacitated because of old age and/or serious illness, and you cannot make your own decisions about the treatment you would want or would not want to receive. If you do not make a Living Will, your doctors would have to follow your state laws and consider family members' input in order to determine what would be the best treatment for you. Problems arise when family members disagree on what that treatment should be. A Living Will, where you can clearly outline your wishes, might protect your family from years of struggle with very difficult questions. LegalArrow® can assist you in making a comprehensive and valid Living Will.