A living will must be distinguished from a health care proxy or general power of attorney. In legal terms, these two regulations have little to do with each other. Nevertheless, health care proxies are often drawn up together with living wills.
A living will is a precautionary directive in the event that you are unable to consent to or refuse medical treatment or nursing care at a time when it is imminent. A living will is binding for all parties involved (e.g. carers, authorised representatives, doctors, nursing staff, courts) insofar as it clearly expresses your wishes for a specific treatment situation. We would like to point out that this clear recognisability may not be possible if the directive is already very old and was made in a life situation that no longer corresponds to the current situation. The will may also not be clearly recognisable if, for example, only empty phrases were chosen.
It is advisable to renew or confirm a living will at certain intervals (e.g. annually). In this way, you can regularly check in your own interest whether the stipulations you have made should still apply or whether they should be concretised or amended.
A living will should be stored in such a way that your doctors and authorised representatives in particular can obtain knowledge of the existence and storage location of a living will as quickly and easily as possible. To this end, it may be useful to carry a note with you stating where the living will is kept. If you are admitted to a hospital or nursing home, you should refer to your living will.