A living will is, technically, not a will at all since it takes affect during your lifetime. A living will is a document that states your preferences for treatment in cases of severe illness or injury when the procedures in question are only going to delay the process of dying. As an advance directive, a living will provides direction to medical providers and health care facilities and can be used by a person named as a power of attorney for health care as an indication of support to, in layman's terms, "pull the plug."
Living wills allow you to make the decision of whether life-prolonging medical or surgical procedures are to be continued, or withheld or withdrawn. They also contain your preferences with regard to when artificial feeding and fluids are to be used and whether pain-killing drugs, such as morphine, should be administered.
A living will allows you to express your wishes prior to being incapacitated. Your physicians or health care providers are directed by the living will to follow your instructions. Note that a living will can only be used to indicated refusal of medical procedures and/or feeding/fluids/drugs. A health care proxy, or durable power of attorney for health care, is used to appoint someone to make health care decisions for you if you become incapacitated.
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