Do You Have An Effective Living Will?

All of the notoriety from the Schiavo case points out the need for everyone to have an effective living will (also sometimes referred to as an advance medical directive).  The purpose of the document is to give someone else the power to make your medical decisions when you are no longer able to make them yourself.  

Many times these are life and death decisions that must be made by a loved one.  The issue of course is that your wishes, under various circumstances, can and will be carried out per your orders.  Hopefully, this can be accomplished without creating dissention among family members.  That is why it is important to discuss these issues with your family members prior to drafting the document so that your attorney can address any potential conflicts that may arise.  Lastly, you don't want to put the individual named as the decision maker in a position of guilt when end-of-life decisions must be made.  That person needs to know that they are doing what you would have done yourself and not left to doubt the decision later.