Search
Close this search box.

Online Video Gives Advice On How to Write Your Living Will

Print Article

MARCH 1 , 2010  VOLUME 17, NUMBER 7

Everyone should sign a living will and (perhaps more importantly) a health care power of attorney. You knew that already, right? But how should one go about preparing a living will?

The answer is deceptively simple. Forms are widely available online, from health care providers and from aging advocacy organizations (to name just a few places). One of the best in Arizona (because it is well-formatted and easy to get to) is offered by the Arizona Attorney General’s office. Those forms are generally fine, though obviously neither comprehensive nor customized. Your lawyer can (and probably will) prepare a more extensive and personalized document as part of your estate plan — your will and (if you create one) your living trust.

Be aware of state variations. Your state may refer to the health care power of attorney as a health care “proxy,” or call your agent a “patient advocate.” You will want to make sure any forms you use are appropriate for your state — that may not require the involvement of a lawyer, but your estate planning lawyer will be able to address the same questions while preparing your estate plan.

Most people will want to sign both a living will and a health care power of attorney, though the common practice in many states (including Arizona) is to incorporate both into a single document. Depending on your state there may even be other kinds of “advance directives” to consider — like a mental health power of attorney, or an authorization for autopsy, organ donation and/or cremation (Arizona permits all of those additional directives).

More important than the particular advance directive you sign, however, is the information you provide to family members. That’s the point of a new online video offered (in two parts) by retired University of Arizona law professor Kenney HeglandPart 2 stands alone, but the two segments really work better together. Incidentally, Prof. Hegland (along with Fleming & Curti partner Robert Fleming) is the author of New Times, New Challenges: Law and Advice for Savvy Seniors and Their Families, and his advice is practical as well as legal.

Your advance directives are most useful if they are highly personalized. Clear directions and full information will increase the likelihood that your wishes are carried out, and provide your family with both comfort and direction.

Professor Hegland’s two-part video is at once entertaining and useful. He suggests that you write out your thoughts on end-of-life care, and provide your loved ones with explanations along with your actual instructions. You can also address related issues — what you want your obituary to highlight, who should speak at your funeral services, and more.

There are a handful of useful video resources available online addressing living wills and advance directives. Oddly, few of them offer practical advice about writing or signing the documents themselves. Most are promotional pieces by attorneys or online legal forums, describing the meaning and perhaps the importance of the documents. Three notable exceptions you might look at if you like Prof. Hegland’s submission: (1) a touching description, complete with family interviews, of the care forced upon Robert Wendland and his family when he was critically injured without having signed an advance directive — in two parts, (2) the cute but not terribly informative class project of a student named Maha, performed with a CPR dummy, and (3) the Arizona Attorney General’s dramatization about life care planning, including living wills and advance directives (to play this video, go to the AG’s “life care planning” page and click on the video link under “Life Care Planning For Everyone”).

Stay up to date

Subscribe to our Newsletter to get our takes on some of the situations families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities find themselves in. These posts help guide you in the decision making process and point out helpful tips and nuances to take advantage of. Enter your email below to have our entries sent directly to your inbox!

Robert B. Fleming

Attorney

Robert Fleming is a Fellow of both the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He has been certified as a Specialist in Estate and Trust Law by the State Bar of Arizona‘s Board of Legal Specialization, and he is also a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. Robert has a long history of involvement in local, state and national organizations. He is most proud of his instrumental involvement in the Special Needs Alliance, the premier national organization for lawyers dealing with special needs trusts and planning.

Robert has two adult children, two young grandchildren and a wife of over fifty years. He is devoted to all of them. He is also very fond of Rosalind Franklin (his office companion corgi), and his homebound cat Muninn. He just likes people, their pets and their stories.

Elizabeth N.R. Friman

Attorney

Elizabeth Noble Rollings Friman is a principal and licensed fiduciary at Fleming & Curti, PLC. Elizabeth enjoys estate planning and helping families navigate trust and probate administrations. She is passionate about the fiduciary work that she performs as a trustee, personal representative, guardian, and conservator. Elizabeth works with CPAs, financial professionals, case managers, and medical providers to tailor solutions to complex family challenges. Elizabeth is often called upon to serve as a neutral party so that families can avoid protracted legal conflict. Elizabeth relies on the expertise of her team at Fleming & Curti, and as the Firm approaches its third decade, she is proud of the culture of care and consideration that the Firm embodies. Finding workable solutions to sensitive and complex family challenges is something that Elizabeth and the Fleming & Curti team do well.

Amy F. Matheson

Attorney

Amy Farrell Matheson has worked as an attorney at Fleming & Curti since 2006. A member of the Southern Arizona Estate Planning Council, she is primarily responsible for estate planning and probate matters.

Amy graduated from Wellesley College with a double major in political science and English. She is an honors graduate of Suffolk University Law School and has been admitted to practice in Arizona, Massachusetts, New York, and the District of Columbia.

Prior to joining Fleming & Curti, Amy worked for American Public Television in Boston, and with the international trade group at White & Case, LLP, in Washington, D.C.

Amy’s husband, Tom, is an astronomer at NOIRLab and the Head of Time Domain Services, whose main project is ANTARES. Sadly, this does not involve actual time travel. Amy’s twin daughters are high school students; Finn, her Irish Red and White Setter, remains a puppy at heart.

Famous people's wills

Matthew M. Mansour

Attorney

Matthew is a law clerk who recently earned his law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. His undergraduate degree is in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Matthew has had a passion for advocacy in the Tucson community since his time as a law student representative in the Workers’ Rights Clinic. He also has worked in both the Pima County Attorney’s Office and the Pima County Public Defender’s Office. He enjoys playing basketball, caring for his cat, and listening to audiobooks narrated by the authors.