Make A Will Month offers an important reminder to ensure that your wishes are legally documented on how your assets, including property, will be distributed after you pass away. It also helps you to appoint guardians for minor children. Without a will, important decisions about your estate, your healthcare and the care of your children are left to the courts and state laws which may not align with your wishes.
Setting up a will can be accomplished by hiring an attorney who can properly advise on various options, especially for those who may have complicated assets. Online resources such as FreeWill, LegalZoom, LawDepot, Nolo’s Quicken WillMaker, Rocket Lawyer, and Trust & Will, can provide templates and guidance for creating a will.
Different from an estate will, a Living Will is a legal document that dictates an individual’s wishes on end-of-life care and treatment should they become unable to make decisions on their own or can no longer communicate their wishes. A Living Will may include specific instructions on life sustaining treatment such as mechanical ventilation and feeding tubes. It may stipulate an individual’s wishes for comfort care using medications as well as Do Not Resuscitate directives. A Living Will also offers the opportunity to assign someone as medical power of attorney who knows you and understands your end-of-life desires and can make the necessary decisions for you. An attorney can help you draw up the document, but there are online resources that can be completed individually and then filed with your healthcare provider.
After personal and family needs are addressed, a Will presents an opportunity for an individual to leave a legacy to a cause or causes they most care about. Bequests are a significant way that our community of ALS friends and family have helped sustain our mission of providing free services for people living with ALS as well as funding valuable research. Please consider including a gift in your will that will have a lasting impact on people living with ALS. For more information, please contact Jeff Cline at 215-664-4127, jeff@alsmidatlantic.org or Donna Cleary at 215-664-4133, donna@alsmidatlantic.org.