Creating a will or trust can be an unsettling task because it often involves planning for a day when you may be incapacitated or deceased. It requires making major decisions about what to do with your finances, assets, and even medical care should one of those events occur.
However, setting up a will or trust can be a smart move for many reasons, one of which is that they often help reduce conflict among family members. A living will is particularly useful in preventing heated disagreements within the family upon a member’s incapacitation or death. This article will discuss what a living will is, how it can prevent family conflicts, and how to contact an Illinois living will attorney who can draft the right agreement for your needs.
What Is a Living Will?
A living will is a legal document that sets out how a person wants his or her healthcare to be managed in the event of incapacitation. It applies specifically to someone who suffers from a terminal condition, meaning that any life-saving treatments will only lengthen the dying process. It includes the healthcare preferences of the testator — the person who created the will — for when he or she can no longer communicate and cannot give informed consent to medical treatments.