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Learning Center
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A Living Will is useful to a judge try-ing to decide what an unconscious patient
would want.
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In creating your Living Will, you can write anything that is important for you
concerning your last days. For example, you might include "I want to die at home,"
or "I want my family near me," or give instructions regard-ing such things as organ
donation.
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A Living Will must be signed in front of two witnesses. The witnesses to a
Living Will are sworn by the notary public/justice of the peace and indi-cate
that the client is at least 18 years of age and signed the instrument as a free
and voluntary act.
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You are free to revoke this Living Will and to write a new Living Will at any time.
Just make sure that your doctor and your family members have your new will and
take a copy to the hospi-tal or clinic if you become ill and need treatment.
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The Living Will is intended to antici-pate the situation in which you have an
incurable or an irreversible mental or physical condition with no reason-able
expectation of recovery. Your in-structions are usually intended to ap-ply if
you are in any of the following states:
(a) in a terminal condition;
(b) permanent unconsciousness (persistent vegetative state) or
(c) conscious but with irreversible brain damage and unable to ever re-gain
the capacity to make decisions and/or express your wishes.
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