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Having the authority to make decisions about your medical care is one of the benefits of being an adult. Even so, situations can arise where you are no longer willing or able to make these vital decisions. The fact is that a deterioration of your physical health or mental capacity can take away your ability to make sound medical choices. When this happens, working with our compassionate wills attorney, can help you to retain control over your medical situation.
Enacting a living will in Fort Lauderdale is one of your options. These legal documents inform family members and medical providers about what sorts of medical care you want to receive under specific circumstances. As soon as you execute these documents and are unable to make your own medical choices, these living wills go into effect to protect your right to choose the treatment that is best for you.
A living will is an official legal document that carries the full weight of the law. Because of this, it is important to understand how these documents work and how to create them in a way that satisfies every relevant legal requirement.
Living wills may take on almost any form, as long as it is clear that the person drafting the document understood what they were doing at the time of creation. To make things even simpler, Florida Statute § 765.303 provides a template that individuals can use that carries the presumption of legality. In addition, this template includes many of the common situations that may lead to a person being unable to make informed medical choices and decline specific treatment options.
One of the only criteria that a living will must satisfy is the signatures portion. Under state law, the maker of the living will must sign the document. In addition, at least two witnesses must observe the signing and attach their signatures to the document. Our knowledgeable attorneys can help guide you through the legal process involved in creating a living will.
Many people view estate plans as being only for the end of their lives. However, savvy planners recognize that they can use portions of their plans to retain greater control over the immediate future. Living wills are an excellent example of this dynamic.
Having a living will in place can help you retain control over future medical choices. Even if you are not able to articulate what treatment you want, these documents inform family members and doctors about your wishes, and the law says that they are obligated to obey.
In addition, living wills can help you to die with dignity. This can include declining resuscitative treatment or refusing to be put on a ventilator or other life support machine. Our experienced lawyers in Fort Lauderdale can work with you to identify your goals and determine how a living will can help them become a reality.
The main focus of a living will is control. People with effective living wills inform doctors and family members about what sort of medical care they want after a condition leaves them unable to make their own decisions. In fact, it is illegal for a medical professional to ignore these documents.
Our competent Fort Lauderdale living wills lawyers could help you better understand these documents and how they form an essential part of an estate plan. He could then work to understand your goals and draft documents that leave no doubt as to your intentions. Call All Florida Real Estate Lawyers now to discover more about living wills in Fort Lauderdale.
