Estate & probate
Living will
A living will is a written statement of the medical treatment you would and would not want if you were dying or permanently unconscious and could not speak for yourself.
Also called advance directive · advance health care directive
It addresses a narrow and very specific set of circumstances, which is what makes it usable: it tells clinicians and family what to do about life-sustaining treatment when recovery is not expected.
Its real function is to remove a decision from the people who love you. Without it, someone has to choose, and then live with having chosen.
What it does not do
A living will does not cover routine or ordinary medical decisions, and it does not appoint anyone. The person who decides everything outside its narrow scope is named in a health care power of attorney. It also has no effect if nobody can find it.
This entry is a general explanation, not advice for your situation, and it deliberately avoids thresholds and figures, because those are the part most likely to be out of date. Reviewed August 27, 2026. If a decision turns on any of it, ring the office rather than relying on a page.
Read next
These interact with it.
From definition to your situation
Whether this applies to you is a different question.
A Clarity Map Session answers it against your actual accounts, documents and tax picture. Free, 30 minutes, no obligation, and you keep the written picture either way.
30 minutes · No cost · No obligation