Living wills, advance directives are actually a set of documents? These documents help direct your medical care if you become incapacitated. Living wills are the most common examples of instructive directives. State and Federal court decisions established the right of an incompetent or comatose patient to have his or her wishes respected, as long as those wishes are known.

Living wills have become customary in many parts of the country and are broadly respected by health care providers. However, a high percentage of Americans do not have a living will and/or a power of attorney to ensure its compliance. By registering with a Living Will Registry you can rest assured that hospitals and healthcare providers have access when necessary.

By using the Registry to store their advance directives, health care providers do not need to maintain their own storage and retrieval system. They have 24-hour access to the Registry by telephone or Internet and can receive a requested document in seconds. And because the Registry contacts each registrant annually to make sure their advance directive has not changed, providers are assured that the documents they receive from the Registry are up to date.

The biggest advantage of making a living will is that it allows you to voice out your preferences on the subject of life support measures and other medical treatment options. Even though your family and friends may not hold the same philosophy about the matter, the creation of such a legal document gives you an opportunity to confer with them and explain your choices.

Remember since your living will documents are suppose to be legally binding make sure everything is put in witing. In addition since every state has its own set of policies, states will vary in their consistencies. So if you plan to move to different state be sure to look up that states living will policies.

The most obvious place to look for living will forms would be at your local hospital. The United States federal law commands all health care facilities to provide advance directives information to residents in their communities - including information regarding state-specific statutes. You may get hold of a living will form by getting in touch with the Social Service Department or Patient Representative of the hospital, your doctor, or pay an attorney to draw them up. Some opt to save attorney fees by creating their own forms. In the resource box we provide you a link to state specific do-it-yourself living will forms software.

Once you have completed the proper forms, hand copies of the living will to your immediate family members, friends, and family doctor. If you have appointed your own health care surrogate, don't forget furnish him or her with a copy as well. On no account should living wills be stashed in a safe deposit box. Doing so will only make it harder for your loved ones to get hold of the document when the need arises.