You took the time to create a living will. Now, where should you keep it?
It may seem like a simple and obvious question. A living will is an important legal document, so keeping it somewhere safe makes sense. Safety is only part of the equation. Accessibility matters just as much. If the document is needed quickly, how will the right people find it?
A living will is one type of advance directive. It records your wishes about certain medical care if you cannot communicate those wishes yourself. Other advance directive documents may name someone to make healthcare decisions on your behalf. The terminology and requirements can vary by state.
No matter where you keep these documents, it helps to think beyond the physical storage location. Who should have a copy? Should your physician have one? What happens if you need the document while you are away from home?
Those questions can help you decide where and how to store your living will.
Keep Your Living Will Somewhere Safe and Easy to Find
Your original living will needs protection from loss, damage, or accidental disposal. At the same time, it should not be so well hidden that no one can find it.
A home filing system, document box, or fire-resistant safe may provide a convenient place for important papers. Whatever location you choose, make sure at least one trusted person knows where to find your living will.
CaringInfo suggests keeping several printed copies of an advance directive at home. Place them somewhere a healthcare agent or others can easily reach them.
That last part matters. Easy access is key. There is little benefit to choosing the perfect storage spot if the person who needs your living will cannot get to it.
The goal is to protect the document without making it difficult to retrieve.
Give Your Healthcare Agent a Copy
If you have named someone to make healthcare decisions for you, that person should have access to your living will and other healthcare directives.
CaringInfo also suggests giving your healthcare agent a copy of your advance directive. Friends and family should know who your agent is and where to find your documents.
Providing a copy ahead of time means your agent will not have to track down the document when it is needed. It also gives your agent an opportunity to become familiar with your wishes before making decisions on your behalf.
A written directive can provide important instructions. Conversations can add useful context. Discussing your preferences in advance may help your agent better understand what matters to you.
You do not need to distribute copies to everyone you know. Focus on the people who may need the document and make sure they can get it.
Make Sure Your Physicians Can Access It
Your living will should not exist only in a file at home.
The same CaringInfo resource advises having your advance directive uploaded to the electronic medical record at all of your doctors’ offices. Doing so can make your wishes available to the professionals already involved in your care.
Giving a copy to one physician does not necessarily make it available everywhere.
For example, you might see several specialists or receive care through more than one healthcare system. Changing physicians can create another reason to provide a new copy.
Ask your healthcare providers how they add advance directives to your medical record. When you begin seeing a new physician, find out whether the office needs a copy.
Easy access to your own documents can therefore be useful even when there is no emergency.
Think About Access Before a Planned Procedure
Advance directives often come up in discussions about unexpected medical emergencies. However, that is not the only time you may want your documents readily available.
Suppose you are preparing for surgery or another planned procedure. The hospital or surgical center may ask about your advance directive. Providing a current copy beforehand can be easier than relying on someone to retrieve it later.
The same issue can arise when you change physicians, move to a new healthcare system, or begin receiving care from a new facility.
These situations highlight an important difference between storing a living will and having ready access to it.
Knowing exactly where the paper copy sits at home does not necessarily mean you can conveniently provide it whenever someone requests it.
What Happens If You Are Away From Home?
A living will stored in your home office may be easy to find while you are there. A medical emergency can happen somewhere else.
Perhaps you become ill while traveling or need medical attention while visiting family in another state. The same concern applies if you travel abroad.
In any of those situations, your paper documents could be miles away.
CaringInfo’s guidance includes carrying important healthcare information in a wallet.
You do not need to carry your entire living will everywhere you go. Instead, consider how someone could learn that the document exists and gain access if you cannot provide it yourself.
Digital Storage and Access
A paper original does not have to be your only copy.
CaringInfo recommends keeping a photo or PDF of your advance directive on your phone. That can provide another way to have the document with you. However, it is still worth considering who could access that copy if you could not use your phone yourself.
Legal Directives provides another way to store and access healthcare directives digitally. Members’ documents are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from anywhere in the world.
Members can download their stored documents or have them sent by fax or email. That can make it easier to provide a current copy to a physician, hospital, or other healthcare facility. It can help before a planned surgery, when seeing a new physician, or when adding a directive to a medical record.
Members also receive an Emergency Wallet Card. During an unexpected medical situation, the card provides a way for healthcare professionals to access stored directives even if the paper copies are somewhere else.
Worldwide access can also be particularly useful while traveling. Even if your paper documents are at home, your stored directives remain available while you are away.
Keep Your Copies Current
Having several copies of your living will can improve access. It can also create another consideration.
What happens if you later replace the document?
After completing a new living will or other advance directive, make sure old copies do not continue circulating. Give the current version to the appropriate people and healthcare providers.
Consider keeping a simple list of where you have provided copies. For example, note which physicians have the document and which trusted people received one.
You do not need an elaborate tracking system. A basic record can help reduce the chance that an outdated copy causes confusion later.
Finding the Right Balance Between Storage and Access
There is no single storage location that works for everyone. You might keep the original living will with other important papers at home. Your healthcare agent can have a copy, while your physicians keep copies in your medical records.
The important thing is to think about both sides of the issue. Protect your living will, but also make sure the people who may need it can get it.
Where you keep the document matters. Making sure it can get into the right hands matters just as much.
CaringInfo, “Making Your Healthcare Wishes and Medical Choices Known.” Read the full article here.