 |
What exactly could cause your body to be placed on a machine, dependent upon it for food, water and survival? In the situation of Terri Schiavo, she succumbed to a heart failure caused by a potassium imbalance brought on by bulimia. The resulting lack of oxygen to her brain, or hypoxia, damaged her brain to the point that she was kept alive by feeding tubes for almost a decade and a half. The effect and scope of a brain injury is often determined by neurologists using examination and neuroimaging. In Schiavo's case, the true extent of damage was only known after an autopsy, which revealed her brain had shrunk in mass to half of the size of an average female brain.
How will your loved ones know your wishes in the event that you suffer similar damage and are put on life support? If death is imminent or a coma or vegetative state becomes permanent and you cannot communicate your desires, how can you tell a hospital or your family what to do? The answer is a Massachusetts living will.
In today's world, artificial life support can keep a person alive for years, regardless of brain function or amount of pain an individual is experiencing. A Massachusetts living will is a legal document which indicates simply what your wishes are in the event that you are put on artificial life support. By deciding now, you won't leave the difficult decisions to your family. You can include special instructions and directions for things like pain medication, artificial nutrition, and if you want to remain on life support for a certain period of time.
LegalZoom can help. We prepare customized living wills which meet every legal requirement in Massachusetts. A LegalZoom living will also allows you to combine a living will with the appointment of a health care agent, a person who can make decisions on your behalf even if you're not terminally ill or in an irreversible coma, but are unable to make decisions on your own. Start the process today, simply fill out our easy, online questionnaire and complete your Massachusetts living will in three easy steps.
|
| |
