Mental Health America of Virginia The voice of reason in mental health advocacy

Screen 4: Living Will

A specific type of Medical Directive covers only end-of-life decisions. In Virginia, we call this a Living Will. It is often confused with a will or last will and testament, but they are completely different documents with very different purposes. A will or last will and testament specifies who gets your possessions after you die. That is not what we are talking about here. A Living Will specifies what types of care you want or don't want when you are either at the end of your life or in a permanent state of unconsciousness (medically called "persistent vegetative state"). In a Living Will, you can state your wishes about such things as the use of a respirator (breathing machine), feeding tube (artificial nutrition and hydration) and other types of "extraordinary care". In a Living Will, you can state your value system as it relates to prolonging life or letting nature take its course. There is no right or wrong choices-each decision is very personal and based on your value system, what is important to you. You can have both a Power of Attorney and a Living Will. The Living Will makes your wishes known and an agent in a Power of Attorney can make those decisions that are not covered in the Living Will. You can also give your agent the power to make the final decisions in your life using your Living Will as a guide. Creating a Living Will not only ensures that your family and doctors know your wishes, but it is also a gift to your family to make these tough decisions easier for them when the time comes. None of us want to think about such sad times as the end of our lives, but the fact is that we all will be faced with these decisions and we can make these tough choices for ourselves now.

NEXT - Screen 5: Medical Directive for Psychiatric Care

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