What is a living will or advance directive?
Many people recognize that death is as much a part of the life cycle as birth, growth, maturity and old age. Managing their final illness is something they can do through a living will, a legal document of health care instructions. In Oregon, this document is known as an advance directive. You can use this document to appoint someone called a health care representative to make health care decisions for you when you are unable to make your own health care decisions. (This representative cannot make decisions for you when you are capable of making them yourself – only if and when you become incapable.) The advance directive must be signed by you and witnessed by two qualified witnesses. If you wish, the advance directive may include a directive to physicians to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining procedures under certain circumstances. What are these “certain circumstances?” Two physicians, one of whom must be your attending physician, must confirm that any of the following is true: • y
