Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Living Wills It's a good idea to have a living will or similar document so that your family knows what your wishes are. GovGab has a very good article on living wills. If you need information specific to Michigan, checkout Planning for your Peace of Mind: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Medical and Legal Decisions (pdf document) which explains and provides copies of two important documents: Durable Power of Attorney Advance Directives for Health Care These forms are THE legal documents Michigan citizens use to provide instructions about health care should they lack the ability to make decisions themselves. Among those powers are refusal of medical treatment, withdrawal of medical treatment, and do-not-resuscitate orders. Living wills are not recognized by Michigan law and therefore not included in the Peace of Mind booklet. The Michigan Statutory Will, which is recognized by Michigan Courts, is included. Another general site is Consumer's Tool Kit for Health Advance Planning: "This tool kit contains a variety of self-help worksheets, suggestions, and resources [for creating health care advance directives]. ... The tool kit does not create a formal advance directive for you. Instead, it helps you do the much harder job of discovering, clarifying, and communicating what is important to you in the face of serious illness." 12:37:12 PM

© Copyright 2008 Jocelyn Shaw. Last update: 11/18/2008; 2:44:33 PM. Photo curtesy of Marjorie O'Brien