Living Wills

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thelizardqueen

New member
When it comes to living wills - how many people, CF or not have one? I don't have a will of my own, and have been thinking about it for a while now. I guess all of these posts about some user members here having problems that require someone else to make their decisions for them (Karenb for example, or hairgirl) makes me think that I should seriously get one now while I'm healthy enough not to worry, or at the very least get one sooner then later in case something does pop up health wise in the near or distant future.

The other question I have, is that I know that you don't have to go to a lawyer for one, but that you can also get them online. Where have you guys been getting them (online or not), and how much if anything do you pay for them?

If anyone can answer this, or even provide other info that I will need to know, but haven't asked, would be great.

Edited to add: Hearing from some Canadians would be great too.
 
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Lilith

New member
LOL!  Well, I'm not Canadian, but here in the states you can
get a living will at practically any medical facility.  I got
mine through my hospital while I was admitted one time.  The
social worker brought it to me, explained everything, and signed it
as my witness.  I believe all of them require a witness
signature.  As I said, don't know about Canadian policy, but I
wasn't charged anything for mine.  I just signed off on my
choices and that was it.  The hardest part was who to deem as
my decision-maker (don't remember the legal term) in the event that
I become a vegetable.  Make sure its someone you trust to
follow your wishes 100%.
 
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anonymous

New member
Liz, Maybe I can be the first to offer some help. I just did a brief search for "Living Wills" and found more info/sites than you would propably ever need/use. Try it, you'll like it. Related searches: Free Living Wills, Living
Will Form, Free Printable Living Will, Living Will Samples, Free Downloads Living Will Forms, etc. etc. As I recall, your living will needs to be noterized and witnessed by 2 others when you sign it. Make plenty of copies and give one to all your Doctors and hospitals you might use. Make sure some one in your family has a copy and is very familar with your desires. It is a very good idea for ALL of us to have one. My wife and I both do, but our son (with CF) does not. Good luck in your search. Bill
 
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Emily65Roses

New member
I bought one that's more specific and patient-oriented than just "where my belongings go if I croak" and "what medical procedures to do." It's about being comfortable, has lots of specifics. I got the idea from Allie, actually, and I bought two copies last winter. One for me, and one for Mike (not as likely, but I still thought it was important for him to have one).

It's called Five Wishes, and you can get it here (though I don't know if it's legal in Canada:
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.agingwithdignity.org/5wishes.html
">http://www.agingwithdignity.org/5wishes.html
</a>
The actual document is here:
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.agingwithdignity.org/5wishes.pdf">http://www.agingwithdignity.org/5wishes.pdf</a>
 
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thelizardqueen

New member
Wow Em - I really love that Five wishes one. I'm going to have to see if they have something like that in Canada. Thanks for the help so far guys.
 
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Emily65Roses

New member
If you can't open it, try the html link, and open the pdf directly from the website. That's the only suggestion I gots! Haha.
 
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lightNlife

New member
A living will is a good idea, you can set one up for a nominal fee
through legalzoom.com. Many office supply stores like Staples or
Office Depot have these type of do-it-yourself document kits too.
Some of the "basic" ones are about $14.95 US.
Additionally, if you need the document notarized, that could be
another $20 depending on the notary public's fees. I'm not sure
what the current fee schedule is, that might vary by state or
region. Many people look to arrange a living will when what
they are really after is what is an Advanced Directive.<br>
<br>
For us CFers, the document that is perhaps even more valuable than
a living will is an Advance Healthcare Directive. This is the
document that would specify who you permit to make medical
decisions for you if you become incapable of doing so. These
documents are also where you have the opportunity to convey your
wishes about lifesaving measures (for instance, having a DNR order
in your chart).<br>
<br>
I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on television, buy it's my
understanding that a living will protects your belongings/assets
according to your wishes and is often part of estate planning. By
contrast, an Advanced Directive protects YOU and any end of life
choices that may need to be made by your family or other loved
ones.<br>
<br>
Here is a link to an example of the form that can be used in CA.
You can print it out yourself and fill it in as you see
appropriate. It's also perfectly legal to draft your own version of
an Advanced Directive. Be sure to sign it and make multiple copies.
You keep the original, give one to your healthcare provider to put
in your medical chart, and give another copy to the person you
designate to act as your "agent" (the terminology is
explained in the form.)<br>
<br>
 <a href=
"http://www.calhealth.org/Download/Advanced%20Directive%20for%20Web.pdf">
http://www.calhealth.org/Download/Advanced%20Directive%20for%20Web.pdf</a>
 
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thelizardqueen

New member
I've looked into several online living wills, and some info on them, and from everything that I've read - living wills are put in writting who you want to make medical decisions for you if you can't, what sort of medical treatment you want, whether you want to die at home, how you want people to treat you when you're dieing, etc. I really liked the 5 wishes one that Em posted. I'm going to have to look into something very similar to that.
 
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lightNlife

New member
One very important detail that I forgot to mention, is that if you
do a living will, be sure to also include a HIPAA release.
 
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