Wills, Trusts & Probate
That's All We Do
Comprehensive Living Will Guidance for Redwood Shores Residents
A living will is a focused legal document that allows you to state your healthcare preferences if you become unable to communicate those wishes. In Redwood Shores, California, a living will helps ensure that medical teams and family members understand your desires regarding life-sustaining treatment, comfort measures, and resuscitation. Preparing a living will is part of broader advance care planning and complements other documents such as powers of attorney and healthcare proxies. LA Estate Plans assists local residents in translating personal values into clear written instructions that align with California law and promote peace of mind for both you and your loved ones.
Having a living will in place reduces uncertainty during stressful medical situations and helps prevent family disagreements about treatment choices. This document is particularly valuable for individuals who want to maintain control over end-of-life care decisions even if they become incapacitated. In Redwood Shores, where access to medical care is available, documenting your preferences ensures they are communicated promptly to providers and caregivers. LA Estate Plans helps clients identify scenarios to address, clarifies medical terminology, and prepares a living will that accurately reflects personal values while complying with California requirements for validity and recognition.
Why a Living Will Matters for Your Healthcare Decisions
A living will provides clarity about medical treatments you would accept or refuse if you lose the capacity to communicate. This can ease the emotional burden on family members and reduce the risk of conflict over care choices. In practical terms, the document guides healthcare providers regarding life-sustaining interventions like mechanical ventilation, artificial nutrition, and resuscitation efforts. For Redwood Shores residents, a living will helps ensure that personal values remain central to medical decisions and supports continuity of care across hospital, clinic, and long-term care settings. Drafting this document ahead of time gives you and your family confidence and direction when it matters most.
About LA Estate Plans and Our Living Will Services
LA Estate Plans focuses on wills, trusts, and probate matters for residents of Redwood Shores and throughout California. Our approach emphasizes clear communication, practical guidance, and adherence to state requirements when preparing living wills and related advance healthcare documents. We walk clients through terminology and decision points, assist with document drafting, and explain proper signing and witnessing procedures so that directives will be recognized by medical providers. Our goal is to help you create a living will that accurately reflects your values and is easy for family and providers to follow when care decisions arise.
Understanding Living Wills and Advance Healthcare Planning
A living will is a narrowly focused declaration about medical treatment preferences for situations in which you are unable to speak for yourself. It is intended to guide clinicians and family members about the use of life-sustaining treatments, resuscitation, and palliative care. In Redwood Shores, many people include a living will as part of a larger estate plan to ensure alignment between healthcare choices and financial and personal arrangements. Preparing a living will involves reflecting on values, understanding likely medical scenarios, and choosing clear language so your wishes can be carried out consistently across care settings and providers.
Creating a living will involves more than filling out a form; it requires thoughtful consideration of treatment preferences and how those preferences apply in different medical situations. You should consider whether to include instructions about artificial nutrition, hydration, pain management, and other interventions. It is also helpful to discuss your intentions with family members and any appointed healthcare decisionmaker so they understand and can advocate for your wishes. Regular review ensures the document reflects changes in health, values, or personal circumstances and remains consistent with California law and medical practice.
Defining a Living Will and Its Purpose
A living will is a written statement that sets out the medical treatments you want to accept or refuse if you are incapacitated and unable to communicate. Its core purpose is to communicate preferences about life-sustaining interventions, resuscitation, and comfort care. The document is used by healthcare providers to guide treatment decisions when the patient cannot express their wishes. In California, a properly executed living will helps ensure that your preferences are respected and reduces the burden on family members to make emergency decisions without clear direction from you.
Key Components and the Process for Creating a Living Will
A valid living will typically includes clear statements about the types of medical treatment you would accept or decline, identification of circumstances under which those instructions apply, and guidance on comfort and pain management. The process involves discussing values and medical preferences, drafting precise language, and executing the document with required signatures and witnesses or notarization. It is important to store the document where healthcare providers and trusted family members can access it and to review it periodically to ensure it remains consistent with current wishes and legal standards in California.
Glossary of Important Terms for Living Wills
Understanding common terms related to living wills and advance directives helps make informed choices when preparing your documents. Familiarity with phrases like healthcare proxy, advance directive, and life-sustaining treatment will enable you to draft clearer instructions and communicate more effectively with family and medical providers. The glossary below explains these terms in plain language to support decision-making and ensure your living will aligns with California law and medical practice. Keeping these definitions in mind will help you create a practical and usable document for real-world situations.
Living Will Defined
A living will is a written document that specifies your preferences for medical care if you cannot communicate those preferences yourself. It typically addresses decisions about life support, resuscitation, and other end-of-life treatments. The purpose is to guide healthcare professionals and family members so that your wishes are followed. In California, a living will should be clear and properly executed to improve the chances that it will be honored by medical staff and institutions when critical decisions must be made on your behalf.
Advance Directive Explained
An advance directive is an umbrella term for documents that communicate healthcare preferences in advance, including living wills and healthcare proxies. It serves as a plan for medical decision-making when you are unable to speak for yourself. The directive can include specific treatment preferences and appointment of a decisionmaker to act in situations not fully covered by written instructions. Creating an advance directive helps ensure continuity of care and reduces ambiguity about your wishes during medical crises or prolonged incapacity.
Healthcare Proxy (Healthcare Agent)
A healthcare proxy is a document that appoints another person to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated. This appointed person can interpret your wishes and make choices in situations that your written instructions do not specifically address. Having a healthcare proxy alongside a living will provides flexibility and ensures there is someone trusted to advocate for your preferences with medical teams. It is important to choose an individual who understands your values and is willing to carry out your directions when needed.
Life-Sustaining Treatment
Life-sustaining treatment refers to medical interventions that prolong life, such as mechanical ventilation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, dialysis, and artificial nutrition and hydration. A living will can express whether you would want these measures used under certain conditions. The decision to accept or refuse life-sustaining treatment often depends on personal values, prognosis, and the likely quality of life after treatment. Clear instructions in a living will help guide healthcare providers and loved ones when quick decisions are necessary.
Comparing Advance Care Planning Options
Advance care planning can include a living will, a healthcare proxy, and other documents like durable powers of attorney. A living will provides specific treatment instructions, while a healthcare proxy appoints someone to make decisions in situations not fully anticipated. Durable powers of attorney address financial matters. Considering how these documents work together helps you build a comprehensive plan that covers medical and personal affairs. For Redwood Shores residents, combining documents can reduce gaps in care directives and ensure both medical preferences and practical matters are managed according to your intentions.
When a Simple Living Will May Be Enough:
Clear and Straightforward Treatment Preferences
A basic living will can be sufficient if you have straightforward preferences about life-sustaining treatment and do not expect complex medical scenarios. When your wishes can be expressed in concise, unambiguous language, a single document may adequately communicate those choices to health providers and family members. This approach reduces paperwork while still providing legal recognition of your preferences. It is important to ensure the language is clear and to inform family members and your primary care provider so the document is accessible when decisions arise in Redwood Shores medical settings.
Strong Family Agreement on Care Choices
If family members and potential decisionmakers are in clear agreement about your healthcare wishes, a limited living will may function well to guide care decisions. When loved ones understand your values and support your stated preferences, the document serves as a straightforward reference that reduces the need for more elaborate planning. Even with family consensus, it remains important to document instructions formally and to make sure the living will is properly signed and witnessed so it will be recognized by healthcare providers when treatment choices must be made.
When a Full Advance Healthcare Plan Is Advisable:
Complex Medical Conditions or Multiple Scenarios
A more comprehensive advance care plan is often appropriate if medical conditions are complex or if you want instructions that account for multiple potential scenarios. Detailed planning can provide guidance for ambiguous situations and help avoid gaps in decision-making. Combining a living will with a healthcare proxy and other directives ensures that both specific instructions and discretionary decisionmaking are covered. This layered approach can be especially valuable for individuals receiving ongoing medical care or those with chronic illnesses that may present varied treatment choices.
Desire to Appoint a Trusted Decisionmaker
If you want someone to interpret your wishes and make real-time decisions when circumstances are not explicitly described in a living will, appointing a healthcare agent through a proxy provides that flexibility. A named decisionmaker can consult with medical teams and family, balancing your written instructions with evolving clinical realities. This option is useful when personal values are nuanced and require judgment. Combining written directives with an appointed agent increases the likelihood that your overall care preferences are respected across different settings and emergency situations.
Advantages of a Comprehensive Advance Care Plan
A comprehensive approach to advance care planning combines clear written instructions with an appointed decisionmaker, addressing both specific treatment preferences and unforeseen situations. This dual strategy reduces confusion, supports consistent medical care, and eases the emotional burden on family members who might otherwise face difficult choices without guidance. It also ensures that preferences for pain control and comfort measures are considered, alongside directives about life-sustaining treatment. For Redwood Shores residents, a complete plan helps align medical care with personal values while providing practical direction to caregivers and clinicians.
Beyond clarity for family and providers, a comprehensive set of directives improves compliance with California legal standards and decreases the chance of disputes during emergencies. It can strengthen the enforceability of your wishes by combining clear language with an appointed advocate who understands your intentions. Additionally, a broader plan makes it easier to update and adapt directives over time as circumstances change, ensuring continuity between healthcare preferences and broader estate planning goals. This planning supports dignified care that reflects your priorities across medical settings.
Greater Clarity and Reduced Family Burden
One key benefit of a comprehensive plan is the clarity it provides in emotionally charged moments. Clear written directives and a designated decisionmaker reduce the likelihood of family conflict and make it easier for medical teams to follow your wishes. This structure also allows loved ones to focus on providing support rather than debating treatment options. Planning in advance protects relationships during difficult times by making your preferences known and creating a trusted process for implementing them across care environments in Redwood Shores and beyond.
Legal Consistency and Practical Accessibility
Combining multiple advance care documents improves consistency with California statutes and increases the chances that directives will be followed by medical professionals. It also helps ensure that the right people have access to your documents when needed. Advice on proper execution, storage, and distribution reduces procedural obstacles and makes directives easier to locate in emergencies. This proactive approach supports timely decision-making and enhances the practical utility of your living will and related documents when rapid medical choices are required.
Practice Areas
Top Searched Keywords
- living will Redwood Shores
- advance healthcare directive California
- healthcare proxy Redwood Shores
- living will lawyer San Mateo County
- end of life planning Redwood Shores
- advance directive attorney California
- medical treatment preferences Redwood Shores
- living will preparation Redwood Shores
- LA Estate Plans living will services
Practical Tips for Preparing Your Living Will
Reflect on Your Values and Treatment Preferences
Begin by thinking deeply about what matters most to you in terms of medical care and quality of life. Consider scenarios you want to address, such as prolonged unconsciousness, terminal illness, or severe cognitive decline. Discuss these preferences with family members and any person you might name to make decisions. Clear conversations reduce ambiguity and help ensure that the written document will capture your wishes accurately. Reflecting on values first makes drafting easier and helps align medical directions with your personal goals.
Review and Update the Document Periodically
Ensure Proper Execution and Distribution
To maximize the effectiveness of your living will, follow California requirements for signing and witnessing or notarization. Provide copies to your primary care provider, the person you appoint as a decisionmaker, and close family members who may be involved in care. Consider keeping a copy in a secure but accessible place and inform relevant people of its location. Proper execution and distribution increase the likelihood that your instructions will be available and honored when decisions must be made quickly.
Why Redwood Shores Residents Should Consider a Living Will
Preparing a living will gives you control over how medical care is provided if you cannot communicate your wishes. It reduces uncertainty for family members and helps ensure clinicians have clear guidance on life-sustaining treatment and comfort care. For those with chronic conditions, recent diagnoses, or advanced age, documenting preferences in advance helps align medical interventions with personal priorities. A living will also supports dignity at the end of life by making choices about interventions and comfort measures known ahead of time and reducing the stress on loved ones during critical moments.
Beyond immediate medical decisions, having a living will is an element of comprehensive planning that complements wills and financial directives. It provides peace of mind for you and your family by clarifying expectations and reducing the likelihood of disputes during emergencies. For Redwood Shores residents, a living will helps bridge communication between community healthcare providers and family members, ensuring consistent application of your expressed preferences across different care settings. Early planning can save time and emotional strain later by making your intentions explicit and legally documented.
Common Situations Where a Living Will Is Helpful
Many people create living wills after significant health changes, receiving a serious diagnosis, aging into retirement, or as part of broader estate planning. These documents are helpful when the prognosis is uncertain, when treatments may extend life without restoring meaningful quality of life, or when incapacity is a foreseeable risk. A living will is also valuable for those who wish to leave no ambiguity about resuscitation, ventilation, or artificial nutrition. Planning ahead ensures that both medical teams and family members have clear direction during stressful medical events.
Receiving a Serious or Terminal Diagnosis
A serious diagnosis often prompts individuals to specify their treatment preferences in a living will. With clarity about acceptable interventions and priorities for comfort and quality of life, patients and families can make decisions aligned with values rather than reacting to crisis. Documenting choices after a diagnosis also provides time to discuss options with clinicians and family and to refine instructions to reflect medical realities and personal goals. This planning can reduce confusion and ensure care choices match what the individual would want in advanced illness.
Planning for Potential Incapacity with Age
As people age, the possibility of cognitive decline or sudden health events increases, making advance directives more important. A living will allows you to document preferences for life-sustaining treatment and comfort care well before incapacity occurs. Having those choices written down prevents family members from guessing about your wishes and supports continuity of care across different healthcare settings. Including a living will in broader retirement or eldercare planning helps integrate healthcare preferences into the overall plan for the future.
Including Living Wills in Comprehensive Estate Planning
Incorporating a living will into your estate plan aligns your healthcare preferences with financial and personal arrangements, creating a cohesive strategy for future planning. This integration helps guarantee that decisions about medical care are consistent with broader goals for asset distribution, guardianship, and long-term care planning. A living will also clarifies priorities for comfort and treatment that may influence other estate planning choices. Working on these documents together reduces the chance of conflicting instructions during critical moments.
We’re Here to Help with Living Will Preparation
Reasons to Choose LA Estate Plans for Living Will Preparation
LA Estate Plans focuses on wills, trusts, and probate matters for Redwood Shores residents and provides personalized attention when preparing living wills. We take time to understand your values and explain how various medical options are commonly implemented so you can make informed choices. Our approach includes drafting clear instructions, advising on proper execution, and helping distribute copies to relevant parties. This attention to process helps ensure that your living will communicates your wishes effectively and is in a form that California healthcare providers will recognize.
We help clients navigate the practical steps of completing a living will, including identifying appropriate witnesses, discussing notary options where helpful, and recommending safe storage practices. We also encourage conversations with family and any appointed decisionmaker to promote understanding and cooperation. By guiding clients through these tasks, we reduce procedural obstacles that can prevent directives from being followed. Our goal is to make sure your living will is both meaningful and accessible when quick medical decisions are required in Redwood Shores or elsewhere in California.
Our service emphasizes clear communication about how different directives interact and how to keep documents current. We provide checklists for distribution, explain how to update instructions when life circumstances change, and help address specific concerns about how directives apply in hospital or long-term care settings. With focused support, you can feel confident that the living will you prepare will reflect your values and be ready for use when care decisions arise, ensuring that your preferences guide treatment even if you are unable to speak.
Contact LA Estate Plans to Discuss Your Living Will Options
How the Living Will Preparation Process Works
Our process for preparing a living will begins with an initial consultation to discuss your healthcare values and specific preferences. From there we draft a document tailored to those instructions and review it with you to ensure clarity and legal compliance. We then assist with execution to meet California signing and witnessing requirements and advise on distribution and storage. Follow-up consultations are available to update the document as needed. This step-by-step approach ensures that your living will is practical, accessible, and reflective of your wishes.
Step 1: Initial Consultation and Information Gathering
The first step is a conversation about your medical values, prior experiences with healthcare, and specific situations you want to address. We gather information about current health conditions and discuss likely scenarios where directives would apply. This stage includes explaining terminology and options so you can make informed choices. We also identify who you might name as a healthcare decisionmaker and advise on how to communicate your wishes to family and providers to ensure the document will be followed when needed.
Discussing Personal Goals for Medical Care
During the initial meeting we ask about your priorities regarding life-sustaining treatment, comfort measures, and desired outcomes. This helps shape the language used in the living will and ensures your preferences will be clearly expressed. We provide examples of common scenarios to help you consider how different choices play out in practice. These conversations are confidential and intended to translate personal values into specific, usable instructions for healthcare providers and loved ones.
Reviewing Legal Formalities and Signing Requirements
We explain the formal requirements for a living will to be recognized in California, including signing and witnessing or notarization where appropriate. Guidance on who may serve as a witness and how to store the document is provided so that the directive will be valid and accessible. Understanding these formalities helps avoid technical problems that can affect enforceability and ensures that your written preferences will be available to clinicians when crucial decisions arise.
Step 2: Drafting and Reviewing the Living Will
Once preferences are clarified, we draft a living will that captures your instructions in concise, unambiguous language. The draft is reviewed with you to ensure it matches your intent and to address any questions about applicability or interpretation. We suggest specific phrasing for medical scenarios and comfort measures and tailor the document to your personal circumstances. This review stage allows you to refine instructions and ensure the living will will function as intended in a real medical setting.
Customizing Language for Clarity
We tailor the document language to avoid vague terms and to include situations where your preferences should apply. Clear phrasing reduces the risk that providers or family members will misinterpret your instructions. Customizing language may include specifying conditions under which certain treatments should be withheld or provided, and detailing comfort-focused choices. The aim is to produce a document that can be acted upon without additional interpretation in stressful circumstances.
Addressing Common Questions and Scenarios
During the review we discuss common questions about artificial nutrition, hydration, resuscitation, and pain management so you understand the implications of different choices. We also explore how instructions interact with medical orders like do-not-resuscitate directives and how to communicate wishes to healthcare teams. This conversation helps ensure your living will covers the scenarios most relevant to your health and goals while aligning with practical medical processes in Redwood Shores facilities.
Step 3: Executing, Storing, and Updating Your Living Will
After finalizing the living will, we guide you through proper execution steps to meet California requirements, including witness signatures or notarization as appropriate. We advise on how to store the document safely, how to share it with your primary care provider and designated decisionmaker, and methods to ensure it can be located in an emergency. We also recommend a schedule for reviewing and updating the document when personal circumstances or preferences change, keeping the directive current and effective.
Proper Signing and Witnessing Procedures
We explain who may serve as a witness and how signatures should be obtained to reduce questions about validity. Where notarization is helpful, we provide guidance on when and how to include a notary. Properly completed witnessing and signing procedures increase the likelihood that healthcare providers will accept the living will as valid and will follow the stated instructions. This step ensures that the document meets legal expectations and is ready for use when clinical decisions arise.
Distribution, Storage, and Future Revisions
We advise on distributing copies to your primary care provider, any appointed healthcare decisionmaker, and close family members so that your preferences are available when needed. Suggestions for secure storage include keeping a copy with other important papers and providing digital copies where appropriate. We also recommend periodic reviews and updates to reflect changes in health or personal goals, and we can assist with revisions to ensure continued clarity and legal compliance in California.
The Proof is in Our Performance
Frequently Asked Questions About Living Wills in Redwood Shores
What is a living will and what does it cover?
A living will is a written directive that communicates your wishes about medical treatment if you become unable to make decisions or speak for yourself. It typically covers preferences related to life-sustaining measures such as mechanical ventilation, resuscitation, and artificial nutrition and hydration, as well as instructions about comfort-focused care. The document is intended to guide clinicians and family members so that your treatment aligns with your values and priorities during end-of-life or incapacitating medical conditions. It can reduce uncertainty and provide clear direction in urgent medical situations. To be effective, a living will should use clear, specific language about the circumstances and treatments you want addressed. It is often paired with other documents like a healthcare proxy, which appoints someone to make decisions when the living will does not anticipate specific situations. Reviewing the living will periodically and discussing it with family and medical providers helps ensure it remains relevant and accessible when needed, so your preferences can be followed in Redwood Shores and elsewhere in California.
How do I make a living will valid in California?
To make a living will valid in California you must create a written document that clearly outlines your healthcare preferences and then sign it in accordance with state requirements. California law typically requires either two adult witnesses to the signature or notarization to confirm the document’s authenticity. It is also important that the language is specific enough to be followed by healthcare providers and that the document reflects your current intentions. Beyond the formalities, it helps to provide copies to your primary care provider and any person you might appoint as a decisionmaker. Informing relevant people of the document’s location and content increases the likelihood it will be found and followed during an emergency. Periodic review and updates ensure ongoing compliance with your wishes and with any changes in law or medical practice.
Can I change or revoke my living will?
Yes, you can modify or revoke your living will at any time as long as you have the mental capacity to make decisions. Revocation may be done by creating a new directive that replaces the old one, by physically destroying the document, or by signing a revocation statement depending on your preferences and the circumstances. It is important to communicate any changes to your primary care provider and any appointed decisionmaker to avoid confusion during medical situations. When updating a living will, ensure the new document is properly executed and distributed to the same people and providers who received the earlier version. Keeping clear records and informing family members reduces the chance that an outdated document will be used and helps ensure that your most current wishes are followed by healthcare teams in Redwood Shores and beyond.
How is a living will different from a healthcare proxy?
A living will states specific preferences about medical treatments you would accept or refuse in certain health states, focusing largely on end-of-life care. In contrast, a healthcare proxy assigns a person to make medical decisions on your behalf if you cannot do so. The proxy provides flexibility by allowing the appointed decisionmaker to interpret your wishes in situations that the written document might not fully anticipate. Using both documents together offers the best coverage: clear written instructions for predictable scenarios, and a trusted decisionmaker to handle ambiguity. This combination helps ensure that your values guide treatment while allowing a capable person to respond to unforeseen clinical developments in a way consistent with your preferences.
Who should receive copies of my living will?
You should provide copies of your living will to your primary care provider, any appointed healthcare decisionmaker, and close family members who may be involved in your care. Having multiple copies in trusted hands increases the chance that the directive will be available in an emergency and that the right people will advocate for your wishes. Some people also keep a copy with important papers and carry a wallet card indicating the existence and location of the directive. Digital storage can be useful, but make sure that healthcare providers have access to the file and that your decisionmaker knows how to retrieve it. Regularly confirming that copies remain current and informing recipients of updates reduces the risk of outdated directives being used when urgent decisions are required.
Does a living will cover do-not-resuscitate orders?
A living will may include instructions related to resuscitation preferences, but a do-not-resuscitate order is a separate medical order issued by a physician for use in specific clinical settings or emergencies. Your living will can inform clinicians and family about your resuscitation wishes, but in emergency care settings a physician-signed DNR order is often needed to guide first responders and hospital staff directly. It is useful to discuss resuscitation preferences with your physician so that appropriate medical orders are in place to reflect your wishes. To ensure your resuscitation preferences are honored, coordinate the living will with your healthcare provider and consider having a physician enter an explicit DNR order when applicable. Communicating these choices to family and designated decisionmakers further helps ensure consistent implementation across different care environments.
Should I prepare a living will on my own or with assistance?
While it is possible to prepare a living will using templates, getting assistance can help ensure the document uses clear, legally appropriate language and addresses the scenarios most relevant to your health. Professional guidance can reduce errors in drafting and execution that might otherwise limit the document’s usefulness. Assistance can also help with explaining legal formalities, witness requirements, and distribution so the directive is more likely to be recognized by providers. If you choose to prepare the living will on your own, consider having it reviewed and ensure you follow California signing and witnessing rules. Discuss your choices with family and your primary care provider so the document will be understood and accessible when medical decisions must be made.
How does a living will fit into an overall estate plan?
A living will is one component of a comprehensive estate plan that may also include a last will and testament, trusts, powers of attorney for finances, and a healthcare proxy. Together, these documents address different aspects of your personal and financial affairs in the event of incapacity or death. Integrating a living will into this broader plan ensures that medical preferences are aligned with other planning goals and that decisionmakers have the information and authority needed to act on your behalf. Coordinating these documents reduces the potential for conflicting instructions and makes estate administration and healthcare decisionmaking smoother for loved ones. Regular review of the full plan helps maintain consistency across documents as circumstances change over time.
Will healthcare providers always follow a living will?
Healthcare providers in California generally follow a valid living will, but there may be rare exceptions based on clinical judgment, emergency circumstances, or institutional policies. A clearly drafted and properly executed living will increases the likelihood that providers will honor your instructions. It is also helpful to have conversations with your healthcare team and to provide copies of the directive to ensure they are aware of and can locate your preferences when needed. If a provider declines to follow a living will for specific reasons, communication among clinicians, your appointed decisionmaker, and family members can help address concerns. Ensuring your directive is up to date and accessible reduces the likelihood of disputes and supports timely compliance with your stated wishes.
What should I consider when naming a healthcare decisionmaker?
When naming a healthcare decisionmaker, choose someone who understands your values, communicates well, and is willing to advocate on your behalf under stress. The person should be able to interpret your written instructions and make choices consistent with your preferences while consulting with medical teams. Discussing your wishes with this person in advance will help them feel prepared to act if needed. Consider selecting an alternate decisionmaker in case your first choice is unavailable. It is important to name someone you trust to balance your wishes with evolving medical realities. Providing guidance and written notes about your priorities, as well as ensuring that person has access to your living will and medical information, will make carrying out their role more effective and reliable.