Living Wills & Advance Directives in Cary
Put Your Healthcare Wishes in Writing Before a Crisis
For adults in Cary, Illinois, a living will documents preferences concerning death-delaying procedures when a terminal condition leaves them unable to communicate. Other advance healthcare directives can appoint a decision-maker, address mental health treatment, or record medical orders for life-sustaining treatment.
We can help you identify the healthcare directives that fit your circumstances, treatment preferences, end-of-life wishes, values, and family dynamics.
Call (815) 507-8887 to discuss creating or updating your living will and advance directives.
How Illinois Living Wills & Health Care Powers of Attorney Differ
A living will and a health care power of attorney serve different purposes. Depending on your goals, using both may provide clearer guidance for your family, healthcare agent, and medical professionals.
Illinois Living Will
Under the Illinois Living Will Act, a living will addresses whether death-delaying procedures should be used when you have a terminal condition and can’t state your wishes. It focuses on life-sustaining treatment rather than appointing someone to make a broader range of healthcare decisions.
Health Care Power of Attorney
A health care power of attorney appoints a healthcare agent to make medical decisions if you can’t make them yourself. It can also name a backup agent and explain the values or preferences that should guide those decisions. When this document overlaps with a living will, an available healthcare agent generally directs decisions under Illinois law.
Other Illinois Healthcare Directives
Illinois also recognizes a mental health treatment preference declaration, which records preferences about certain forms of mental health care. A Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, commonly called a POLST, is a medical order prepared with an attending practitioner when a person’s condition makes those orders appropriate. It becomes part of the medical record after the signatures required by the Illinois Department of Public Health are obtained.
How to Sign & Share an Illinois Advance Directive
Illinois generally requires two witnesses for a living will. A witness can’t be the person’s healthcare professional, someone directly financially responsible for the person’s medical care, or someone entitled to a portion of the person’s estate. Requirements vary by document, so each directive must follow the rules that apply to it. These are general Illinois requirements, not individualized legal or medical advice.
Even a properly signed document won’t provide guidance if no one can find it. Give current copies to your healthcare agent, appropriate family members, and healthcare professionals. When appropriate, ask that the directive be added to your medical records.
Illinois allows a living will to be cancelled orally or in writing. If you replace one, make sure anyone who received the earlier version knows about the change and can access the current document.
Personalized Planning Informed by Decades of Estate Planning Experience
At Vaclavek Hartman Vaclavek, we prepare healthcare powers of attorney, document treatment preferences and end-of-life wishes, and provide ongoing estate plan review. We tailor this work to your circumstances, values, wishes, and family relationships. Our approach is informed by decades of experience serving thousands of individuals and families.
A planning conversation may address:
- Your preferred agent: Who should make healthcare decisions if you can’t, and who should serve as a backup?
- Your treatment preferences: Which measures would you accept or decline if you had a terminal condition?
- Your guiding values: Are there personal, religious, or cultural considerations your agent should understand?
- Your existing documents: Do your directives and other estate planning documents work together without creating uncertainty?
- Document access: Who should receive copies, and where should the current versions be kept?