Five Wishes Advance Health Care Directive
The Five Wishes document is an advance health care directive, also known as a living will. A living will allows you to specify what kind of treatment you would like to receive should you become seriously ill. This directive gives you control over your own life in medical situations so that you, not your doctors, decide whether or not you will be treated when you are ill or incapacitated.
The Five Wishes
The Five Wishes document addresses five specific treatment related conditions that you will encounter if you become seriously ill or are otherwise unable to communicate your wishes. The five concerns addressed are:
- Wish 1: The person you want to make health care decisions for you when you are no longer able to make those decisions yourself. If you are incapacitated, this person will be put in charge of what kind of treatment you receive, if you choose to receive any.
- Wish 2: The medical treatment you want to receive if you are seriously ill, including whether or not you would want to be put on life support, and in what conditions and for how long you would want life support to continue.
- Wish 3: The kind of comfort you would like while undergoing care, such as pain medication, whether you want to be bathed or groomed and who should do so, and any other comforts you wish to have.
- Wish 4: Where you would like to be treated and who you want to be there. This wish covers whether you would prefer to stay in the hospital or receive in-home treatment, who you grant visitation rights to, and whether you want a priest, pastor, rabbi, or other religious leader present.
- Wish 5: Last wishes, funeral plans, and release of information. This details the kind of service you would like to be held for you in the event of your death, how much detail you would like your family and friends to know about your medical condition, and any specific messages you would like to pass on to your family and friends.
The Five Wishes document addresses all details that you may want to consider for when you near the end of your life. A probate lawyer can assist you in establishing a living will and can help to ensure that all of your wishes are legally followed when you become severely ill or otherwise incapacitated.
Contact Us
The Austin probate lawyers at Slater, Kennon & Pugh LLP specialize in probate law and are experienced in drafting living wills. They understand that sensitivity and discretion are of the utmost importance when drafting an advance health care directive. For help with drafting your living will or a Five Wishes document, please contact the compassionate and experienced Austin estate planning lawyers of Slater, Kennon & Pugh LLP at 512-338-1100.