In Colorado, individuals may execute a Living Will. A Living Will, also referred to as an Advanced Directive or a Declaration as to Medical or Surgical Treatment, is not a Will at all.
Why You Need a Living Will for Important Medical Decisions
A Living Will is an extremely important medical document that provides doctors with your wishes. It is used if two doctors say that you are in a persistent vegetative state and are merely prolonging the dying process. We also refer to this document as the “No Hope” document because this document is not used if there is a chance to come back.
Provides Directions for Life Support
A Living Will asks how many days you would want to remain on life support before the doctors are authorized to remove you from the machines. There is also an option to allow someone to override your number of days. Your Living Will should be reviewed because as years go by, Living Wills ask more questions for you to answer so that your wishes are very clear and so doctors know what they are or are not authorized to do.
A typical number of days is usually anywhere between 3-7. The factors that go into deciding how many days are:
- any personal or religious beliefs
- if people need to travel to say goodbye
- the cost of being on these machines
Helping your loved ones make decisions
With a Living Will, you make this decision for yourself, which takes the decision out of your loved one’s hands. There is a lot of guilt and confusion that comes with making that decision for someone else so this makes it a little easier on your family.
We know that topics like this can be overwhelming, but our attorneys help walk you through the documents and can answer any questions you may have. Call and schedule your free initial consultation to discuss how a Living Will and other Estate Planning documents.