Anyone in possession of their mental faculties, regardless of their age and state of health otherwise.
Who can draft a living will ?
Your wishes after your death
You can tell health professionals about your wishes after your death concerning :
- donation of your organs for transplant purposes
- your consent to a medical autopsy indicating who can be informed of the results of the autopsy
- donation of your body to a medical school
- your funeral.
What subjects can you deal with ?
Depending on your situation and your experience, you may want to think about what is important to you and how you want to be looked after, and leave explicit instructions. Your living will should be as specific as possible.
For example, you can state :
- what your expectations are concerning pain and its treatment
- if you wish to authorize or refuse certain treatments and/or surgical procedures
- your preferences regarding artificial feeding and hydration
- any reanimation measures
- the people to whom you want medical information to be communicated
- any desired spiritual support
- the person you want to take decisions about your care, i.e. your treatment representative.