A living will, also known as an advance health care directive, is a vital part of any comprehensive estate plan. This document gives you control over your own medical treatment, even if you've been incapacitated. Luke A. Weiland Attorney at Law, a Wisconsin Rapids, WI, lawyer with extensive experience handling wills and estates, urges everyone to consider preparing a living will.

Advance health care directives offer several benefits that protect your rights and interests in the following ways.

Expressing Your Personal Wishes

Your living will can be as broad or detailed as you like, giving you the ability to describe acceptable health care outcomes, decline certain types of treatment, and even leave detailed grooming instructions. In most cases, this document makes your wishes legally enforceable, taking considerable stress off of your family members and eliminating confusion for your health care providers.

Reducing Fighting Between Family Members

Without a living will, your next of kin will likely be empowered to make health care decisions on your behalf. This presents the risk of one relative making choices other members of your family may not agree with. Leaving your own instructions can eliminate conflicts before they arise, since your loved ones will know that they should respect your choices.

Preventing Financial Problems

Survivors of serious accidents often require long-term care, which can become a major encumbrance for their family members. A will and estate layer will help you craft an advance health care directive designed to shield your loved ones, especially those who may find themselves financially responsible for your care. A surrogate chosen for you by the state, on the other hand, can only make decisions based on their idea of your interests, without considering how the outcome could impact other people.

Luke A. Weiland Attorney at Law is dedicated to providing ethical, effective legal counsel to clients in a wide variety of practice areas. Visit their website to learn more about their will and estate services and call (715) 422-6808 to schedule a consultation with an attorney.