Living will
While you are alive but cannot talk
Your treatment wishes. This is the document on this page.
It is not a last will. A living will is a written record of the medical treatment you want if you cannot speak. It does not give away your house.
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From the owner
Karim covers living wills, last wills, and what the first call at Valor includes. About a minute fifteen.
Most people who think about this stop at a will. About one in four adults even has that. A last will names heirs after death. It does not record the treatment you want if you later cannot decide or speak. That is a living will. It is used while you are alive. It does not give away the house. A living will states your own treatment choices, such as life support, tube feeding, and pain care. A health care proxy names a person who can decide if you cannot. They often work together. States set their own witness and notary rules, so a form from the wrong state may not be usable. Those choices get written on an ordinary day, then given to your health care provider, while you can still decide them yourself. The first call at Valor Tax Relief separates those jobs. An attorney lays out why a living will applies, what you already have, what you still need, and what you would receive if you hire: a living will prepared for your state, the signing rules, who should hold a copy, and a quote before you decide. If you want more detail, call Valor Tax Relief for a detailed, accurate, and complete consultation.
Who writes the papers
Geoff writes the documents. California Bar 331734, active, certified in tax law. He handles trusts, estates, wills, and probate.
Mayo Clinic groups a living will with other advance directives. You state preferences on life support, feeding tubes, pain care, and similar choices so doctors are not guessing, and so your family is not arguing from memory.
The National Institute on Aging describes advance care planning the same way: write the wishes down while you can still decide. A living will is that writing for medical treatment.
It takes effect when you cannot communicate and the medical rules in your state are met. It does not appoint an executor. It does not transfer a deed.
Mixing the names is a common error. Here is what each one actually does.
While you are alive but cannot talk
Your treatment wishes. This is the document on this page.
After death
Who inherits. Often a guardian for minor children. Not the same paper.
While you are alive but cannot talk
Names a person to talk to doctors. Ask on the consult if you need that too. It is not sold as a catalog item on this site.
Witness counts, who may serve as a witness, and whether a notary is required all vary. A form you downloaded that was valid in one state can fail in another. We prepare the living will for the state that applies to you. Geoffrey D. Plourde is licensed in Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, and Wyoming. His practice will confirm it can help before you hire. We do not claim a living will is valid in all states.
Give copies to your doctor and to the person who would be called in an emergency. Keep the original where someone can find it. A living will in a locked box nobody can open does not help a night-shift physician.
We do not host a free printable living will PDF for the whole country. That would be a form, not a document prepared for your state.
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We are not the IRS, CFPB, or Mayo Clinic. These links are the public pages we used for the tax and medical facts on this site.
A living will states the medical care you want if you cannot speak. Mayo Clinic describes it as part of an advance directive. It covers things such as life support, feeding tubes, and similar treatment choices.
No. A last will (or last will and testament) says who gets your property after you die. A living will speaks while you are still alive but cannot communicate. Mixing the two names is a common error.
No. A living will is your written treatment wishes. A healthcare power of attorney or proxy names a person to talk to doctors. They often work together. We prepare living wills as a listed service. If you also need someone named to speak for you, ask on the consult. That paper is not sold as a separate package on this site.
No. Witness and notary rules differ. We prepare the document for the state that applies to you. We do not offer a one-size form for all states.
No. A blank PDF is not a substitute for a document prepared for your state and signed the way that state requires.
Typically when you cannot communicate and a physician documents that you lack capacity, under the rules of your state. It does not transfer your house or name an executor.
Usually yes, while you have capacity. Destroy old copies after you sign a new one and tell your doctors and the person who would speak for you.
Ready to talk
Call (800) 252-0141 or request a consult. We will say whether we can take the matter in your state, and quote fees, before you hire.