Living Will Kit - A Great Guide in Making Your Living Will

Preparing a living will is not something most people would welcome. Some even dread this task. There is something unpleasant in thinking of that day when one is no longer capable of deciding, or doing things for one self. That is why, a guide in the form of a living will kit is very welcome. A living will kit alleviates the unpleasant feeling of facing the reality that one day one can be as helpless as a baby.

A living will, also known as an Advance Directive, is a legal document that states a person's decisions or choices regarding extended or long term medical treatment at the time when he or she is no longer able to do so. There are two kinds of living will- the general and statutory living wills. A general living will states what you wish, without conforming to any standard. On the other hand, a statutory living will is a legal form living will that conforms to the requirements of the state law of living wills.

It is advisable to prepare a living will when one is still healthy and well. There are many online sites that provide living will information. You can download a free living will form and practice how to create a living will. Be sure to research and discuss with health professionals the instructions you intend to put in the living will.

Do not plan to wait until reaching the middle age because in a matter of seconds, it can be too late.

Living Will Kits

Forms to prepare the living will are readily available in many designated places. For convenience, a living will kit provides its buyer with the complete set of forms needed with the procedure on how to fill up or accomplish them. The kit is also available online and generally consists of the following:

1. The necessary living will forms and documents. The forms are ready to use but the user should check if they conform with the form required in the state he or she is residing in.
2. The procedure how to make a living will, from the preparation up to the signing of the living will.
3. Instructions on what to do with the accomplished living will.

Living wills vary because it is a personal document unique to its maker but there are basic requirements to make it legal, as follows:
1. Legal competence of its owner/maker to do a living will. The qualifications are stated in the kit.
2. Signatures of the maker/owner and two valid witnesses. A living will owner who is unable to sign may ask somebody else to do so on his or her behalf. The two witnesses should be 18 years old and above and meet the requirements specified by law. The person who signed for the maker /owner could not be one of the two witnesses.
3. Date and notarization if required by the state.
4. Check if the instructions in the living will conform to the situations or cases that would be legally recognized by the state. Generally, the instructions should apply to cases where the maker /owner of the will has a terminal illness, has been unconscious for along time that it could be considered "permanent" and any medical treatment would only serve to prolong or maintain the present condition.

Copies of the completed living will document should be distributed to your family members, doctor, hospital, nursing home, confidant and anyone else whom you think would be involved in your care in case something happens. You may also submit a copy to a living will registry which, for a fee, shall professionally handle the proper distribution of the document. If possible inform your close circle of friends that you have a health care living will. A living will may include the identity of somebody assigned to make the decisions for you.

A living will maybe changed anytime. If a newly accomplished will is a replacement for a previous one, you should inform and provide the revised copies to all who have been recipients of the old living will. All copies of the old or previous will should be destroyed.

The preparation of a living will is in most cases an emotional one. Even a level-headed, very practical person who fully realizes the importance of living wills would be emotionally affected thinking about and preparing for that possibility of being almost dead, except for the act of breathing. Even a focused person would have difficulty concentrating on the task at hand and maintaining the presence of mind needed to make that very important document. This is where the value of the living will kit comes to the rescue.

Susan Burgess RN Dip N.Ed. Susan has had decades of nursing experience and is Specialist Nurse Dementia Care. Information relating to Alzheimer care can be found http://www.newtoalzheimers.com

Alzheimer's Disease Research Grants Two $1 Million Centennial...

1 min - Sep 17, 2007

Alzheimer's Disease Research Grants Two $1 Million Centennial Awards Alzheimer's Disease Research (ADR) has granted two Centennial Awards of one million dollars each to Dr. Bradley T. Hyman of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and Dr. Donald F. Weaver of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The researchers were chosen through a competitive peer review process that began in 2006, marking 100 years since Dr. Alois Alzheimer described this disease. ADR's Centennial Awards will foster innovative, multidisciplinary research, aimed at slowing or reversing the progression of, and ultimately preventing, this devastating brain disorder.