Attached is a fillable-form Living Will PDF that can assist you in designating what you want to have happen in the event you are terminally ill or find yourself in a persistent vegetative state. Please read over the form very carefully and modify it as you deem necessary. Initial before each item that you agree with and designate a primary health surrogate and an alternative to make end-of-life decisions for you in the event you are not capable.
You can never anticipate when a devastating event will occur, and so it is never too soon to prepare for end-of-live circumstances. KEEP IN MIND: The terms of a Living Will are not legally binding on a health care professional. Instead, the person you designate as your health surrogate has full authority, in the event you become incapacitated, to make your end-of-life decisions for you. That is why it is so important to:
- Talk to your primary and alternative surrogates (decision-makers) about what you want to have happen in the event of terminal illness, vegetative state, or other end-of-life states so that they know precisely what you do and do not want to have happen;
- Provide your primary and alternative surrogates with a copy of the attached form once it has been executed. Make sure it is witnessed by two independent persons (who are NOT the primary or alternative surrogates) and notarized to give the document as much authority as possible; and
- Create a Designation of Health Care Surrogate form to bolster your surrogate’s authority in the event you are incapacitated but not at an end-of-life stage. MAKE SURE YOU DESIGNATE THE SAME INDIVIDUALS ON BOTH FORMS; otherwise, you can create a great deal of confusion once health decisions must be made for you.
If you have any questions, please contact Parris Law, PA for more information and to ensure that your wishes are well-documented before the time comes for decisions to be made on your behalf. We are located in Orlando but can assist with estate documents in any county in Florida – not just Orange County.
