An Orlando living will lawyer from our firm can help you establish plans for what will happen to you if you ever become incapacitated or need end-of-life care and cannot verbalize your own wishes. The legal document that outlines your choices and details your wishes is known as a living will.
An Orlando wills, trusts, and probate lawyer from Bogin, Munns & Munns can help you with a full range of estate planning tasks, including creating a living will and establishing a healthcare surrogate to ensure it is followed.
We have served Central Florida for more than 40 years. Call us today to learn more. We are here to walk you through this process.
Our Orlando Living Will Lawyers Can Help You Understand Living Wills
A living will is a legal document that outlines your preferences for medical treatment and care if you are unable to communicate your wishes. Living wills typically address life-prolonging procedures, resuscitation, and end-of-life care. Florida law requires that all living wills are:
- Signed by you
- Witnessed by two other people, one of whom is not a relative, or notarized
While living wills often name a power of attorney for healthcare decisions, you may want to complete a healthcare surrogate designation at the same time. This is separate from the living will and appoints the person you choose to make your medical decisions if you cannot. This person should ensure your living will is followed when it specifies your wishes.
To consult with an experienced living will lawyer serving Orlando
855-780-9986
An Orlando Living Will Attorney From Our Team Can Create This Document for You
Our Orlando living will lawyers handle a full range of tasks related to your future and what happens when you cannot make medical or financial decisions on your own. Our Orlando estate planning lawyers work with individuals and families on last will and testaments, trusts, living wills, and much more. Open since 1979, our firm handles a wide variety of case types in Orlando and across Central Florida.
Having a living will ensures care providers and your family know and understand your wishes when you cannot tell them. This includes treatments, resuscitation efforts, and end-of-life care. Any clinic, hospital, long-term care home, or other medical care facility in Florida should honor your living will.
You can meet with our attorneys in our Orlando office, an office nearby, or at your home. Our Orlando headquarters is located at:
1000 Legion Place, Suite 1000
Orlando, Florida 32801
Reach out today to speak to our team and schedule a time to meet with us. We are here for you and will make creating your living will easy.
Our Orlando Living Will Lawyers Understand the Florida Health Care Advance Directives Act
The Florida Health Care Advance Directives Act governs how we create living wills, what they include, and how we ensure they will be official, recognized legal documents by health care practitioners. While these documents are not one-size-fits-all, they generally include at least the following components:
Declaration of Intent
A living will usually begins with a statement that states that you want to outline your wishes for medical treatment in case you become incapacitated for any reason.
Instructions on Resuscitation and Life-Prolonging Procedures
Living wills typically include clear Instructions on when to offer, withhold, and withdraw resuscitation efforts and life-prolonging treatments. This could include:
- A ventilator to provide mechanical ventilation
- Artificial nutrition and hydration, such as through a feeding tube
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Other life-sustaining interventions
End-of-Life Care
This section will detail when you want specific directives to apply, such as when you no longer want to receive CPR or when you might want a feeding tube removed. This could include directives specifically for:
- A terminal illness that will likely cause your death
- An end-stage condition when you will likely pass away soon
- A persistent vegetative state, when you are unlikely to improve or wake up
Pain Management and Comfort Care
This section states your preferences for palliative care, including pain relief and other comfort measures.
Designation of a Surrogate
Many, but not all, living wills name a power of attorney for healthcare decisions. This is known as designating a healthcare surrogate. This party ensures your wishes are followed and makes any decisions that are not clearly defined in your living will.
Orlando Living Will Lawyer Near Me
855-780-9986
Our Orlando Living Will Lawyers Can Help You Ensure Your Wishes Are Followed
While having a legal living will and naming a healthcare surrogate should ensure your wishes are followed when you cannot manage them yourself, our Orlando commercial law lawyers can also include other details that are important to you.
For example, some people want to ensure their organs are available for donation after their death. We can include this detail in your living will so the medical team treating you is aware of this preference. We can also include specific medications you want or do not want to be given. This may be important if you do not use opioid painkillers, for example.
Our attorneys want to ensure you get what you want, even when you cannot ask for it directly. This also helps your family make difficult decisions and relieves some of the pressure and guilt they may feel if they made a decision to withdraw care or issue a do not resuscitate order.
Our Orlando Lawyers Can Handle Your Living Will When You Come in for Other Estate Planning Tasks
At Bogin, Munns & Munns, we can create your living will, provide advice for talking to your doctors and family members about your wishes, and help you complete a healthcare surrogate directive.
Our team also offers a wide range of other estate and future planning services. Schedule a time for your living will, and we can also discuss:
- Your last will and testament
- A durable power of attorney
- Establishing a trust
- How to make navigating probate easier for your family
Click to contact our Orlando Living Will Lawyers today
Talk to Our Team in Orlando About Your Living Will Today
At Bogin, Munns & Munns, we believe having a living will is critical to ensuring your wishes are followed when you cannot speak up for yourself. We can help you create a living will that directs your care even if you are incapacitated.
Talk to an Orlando living will lawyer from our firm today. Reach out to our Orlando, FL, office to get started.
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