Living
Wills/Advance Directives
You
may wish to consider making an Advance
Directive, otherwise known as a Living Will, which
is a document which enables anyone aged 18 or over to write a statement
of wishes concerning medical treatment in the event of becoming
terminally ill or incapacitated. Doctors and other healthcare
professionals must usually take these wishes into account.
This needs to be carefully drafted so that its terms are clear and it
must be obvious what treatment you are refusing or consenting to have,
and in what circumstances, to avoid the medical staff having any
reservations and to enable them to follow your decision.
Some
people choose to prepare the above mentioned document whist they
are still healthy even if there is no prospect of illness.
This may be because they want to keep some control over what might
happen to them in the future. Others may view that by having
such documents in place is part of their preparations for growing older
(similar to making a Will), or because they may have been told that
they have a specific disease or condition. The documents are
a safeguard against potential future events.
We are
able to assist you with the above and, should you be interested, we
will be more than happy to discuss the matter with you in further
detail. Please contact Maria Russo,
telephone 01245 358257.