My lawyer was after me to sign one of these things. I told her I would sign one if it was time limited to one year, to be renewed or void every year on my birthday. She told me that that was a useless provision because if you failed to renew it, it would still have effect, no matter what language was used saying it was void after a certain date.
Reading this story makes me realize she's a pretty good lawyer, because she's absolutely right.
When I first heard that my parents had signed Living Wills, I didn't think anything about it. Then during a trip to Florida we had to admit my Daddy to the hospital and had to sign some DNR forms. It just about killed me to do it because that was when I first became aware of his mortality. He had terminal cancer and it had metastasized throughout his body and even though we knew it was a matter of time, it was as if I were signing a death warrant for him. Luckily it was not used on that visit. Daddy's last two days were spent in a wonderful hospice center in Broward County. Momma said that even though he was not concious, they made him extremely comfortable.
When my Momma moved her to South Carolina, our attorney told her that the Living Will that she had drawn up in Florida would not be legal in the State of South Carolina. So she drew up another. Momma too had cancer. She stayed at home until her death. The night before she died, she asked me to let her go. I didn't want to know to what she was referring but the next morning she was taking her last breathes, I did get to tell her that I loved her before she left.
I don't recommend Living Wills because each case is different, each person fights back in their own way. If a person wants to die, they will and nothing anyone does will stop it from happening.
Each of us has a time here on earth and when GOD wants us to come home, when our job here is finished, we will go to HIM.
A better alternative, and you can prepare it, have it witnessed and notarized yourself. Also no expiration date.
http://www.nrlc.org/euthanasia/willtolive/