As the nation watched Terri Schindler Schiavo, a Florida resident, lose her life in a tense family conflict and debate, the need for living wills or advance directives was first noticed.
While most people don’t want to plan for it, or even think about, FindLaw’s survey reveals that only 44 percent of Americans have an Estate Will and that just 36 percent have a Living Will. Proper endof-life planning is crucial.
However, research shows that Americans have the potential to make end-of-life planning a success. People are expressing their wishes about pain management, life support, and quality of living more often. Although templates and other legalized documents have become more widely available, there is no guarantee that people will be able to access their wishes in an emergency.
The result is that new technology – My LifePlan biometric identity systems – allows health professionals to read the patient’s fingerprints or ID cards and access their patient’s living will.
“Peace of mind in an emergency requires two things. First, we all need legal advice to get our personal documents in order, including a will, advance directives and more. Second, we need to make sure the information in those documents is accessible to emergency workers in real time,”Ruth Skocic, My Life Plan, Inc.
These are some tips from My Life Plan for getting you started if you want to make your living will.
* Talk with your family. It is important not only to record your wishes but also to communicate these to your family, including to your health advocate or to the person responsible for carrying out your health-care wishes.
* Consider your state’s laws. Talk to your lawyer and research your state’s laws.
* It’s important to be specific. When you write your will, think about the many decisions that will be required. For help in deciding how specific to be, consult a professional who has researched living will templates.
Visit My LifePlan for more information www.MyLifePlanInc.com.
