A serious accident could leave someone unable to make medical decisions for themselves. In these cases, medical professionals have a few options. Ideally, they will refer to a patient’s living will to determine how they would like these decisions to be made. For those who do not have living wills in Hagerstown, MD, the doctors may either consult with the next of kin or in case there are no close family members, they will make the decisions themselves based on their own medical knowledge.
Living wills give people the opportunity to tell doctors whether they would like to be kept alive on life support and, if so, for how long. When a patient has not documented their wishes, family members have to make the decision for them, and in many cases, they don’t choose the option their loved one would have if they were able to express their desires. Treatment in an intensive care unit is very expensive, especially when the patient will not recover. The longer a person is kept on life support, the more the family will have to pay for their care.
Unfortunately, family members who are forced to make this decision tend to do so selfishly. They opt to sustain their loved one’s life, even though they have very little hope for recovering from their condition. A person who does not want to force their family to make the agonizing decision to remove them from life support can document their wishes in living wills in Hagerstown, MD. Some people write these documents just in case something ever happens to them, and others put them together prior to having a surgical procedure that could result in complications.
Consulting with an attorney such as Bonnie A. Winders, LLC. could help a person who is concerned about the decisions their family might have to make regarding their care breathe a little easier. Putting this document and others in place could allow a person to plan for their future as well as offer peace of mind to their family. Estate planning doesn’t always benefit the person who makes the plan, but it could be invaluable to their loved ones.
