Glossary

A living will is a legal document that outlines your wishes regarding medical treatment if you cannot communicate them yourself.

Elements of a living will encompass (but are not limited to) the following factors:

• Comfort Measures Only—A medical care plan focused solely on providing comfort and pain relief to an individual approaching the end of life.

• Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Order — A Do Not Resuscitate order is a legal document instructing health care providers not to perform CPR or other life-saving measures in cardiac or respiratory arrest.

• End—of—life care — Medical treatment provided to individuals approaching the end of their lives or who have a terminal illness.

• Healthcare Agent — A person designated to make medical decisions if you cannot do so.

• Life-Sustaining Treatment — Medical treatment used to keep a person alive, such as a ventilator or feeding tube.

• Palliative Care — Medical treatment focused on managing pain and symptoms in individuals with serious illnesses or diseases rather than curing the illness.

• Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) — A medical order that outlines an individual's preferences for life-sustaining treatments in an emergency.

A living will allows you to control your medical care, even when you cannot communicate your wishes. Powerful legal documents, living wills enable you to make proactive choices about your health care, outlining your preferences for end-of-life care, such as whether you want life-sustaining measures or palliative care. 

A living will also helps alleviate potential conflicts between family members and health care providers regarding your medical treatment. By specifying your preferences in a legally binding document, you can provide your loved ones with clarity during an emotionally turbulent time. 

A living will can also help ensure that your medical wishes are respected and followed according to your personal beliefs and values.