A Living Will is a legal document that specifies what you would want done if you are ever in a persistent vegetative state. For instance, would you want to be kept alive indefinitely on a respirator if there was no hope of recovery? Or would you want to be permitted to die with dignity? A Living Will gives doctors and hospitals permission to take you off a respirator if that is your desire.
You can see an attorney to have a Living Will drawn up if you desire, but it will cost you at least a couple hundred dollars. However, you can make a free Living Will on your own. It’s easy to do, it’s free, and it’s perfectly legal just like one that your attorney would draw up for you.
The proper form for a Living Will varies slightly from state to state. To find the proper form for a Living Will in your state, simply go to your favorite search engine and type in “free living will” and your state. You’ll find a free form that you can download.
Download the free Living Will form to your computer and save it as a Word document.
Near the beginning of the form will be a place to enter your name and address. Type in that information.
Toward the end of the form will be a place to enter the name of someone to be notified by a doctor or hospital if your Living Will is being invoked. In most states, the form actually includes a place to enter a second person or even a third person to be notified in the event that the first person listed cannot be reached. Type in that information, including the person’s full name, address, and telephone number.
Somewhere in the form will be a place to put your initials if you want to give your permission for doctors to withhold artificial nutrition, like tube feedings, if you are in a permanent vegetative state. Put your initials there if you wish artificial nutrition to be withheld.
Someone in the form will be a place to put your initials if you wish to be an organ donor. Put your initials there if that is your wish.
Do not sign your free Living Will form. Take it to a notary public. You must sign the form in front of the notary. Then the notary will sign the form and stamp it. That will make the document legal. If you have a bank account, you can have your Living Will notarized for free at your bank. If you don’t have a bank account, you can probably still have your Living Will notarized at any bank, but if you don’t have an account there they may charge you a small fee.
Make copies of your Living Will and put the original in a safe place. Give a copy to each of the people you listed on the form to be notified if the Living Will is being invoked. Give a copy to your doctor. Any time you are admitted to the hospital or go to the emergency room, take a copy with you. Make sure someone important to you knows where your original is.
