Examiner.com:  Most estate planning law firms spend a considerable amount of time writing about wills, trusts, and guardianship documents, but when was the last time you read anything about healthcare directives?  That will be the focus of this article, because healthcare directives (also called living wills) are integral to planning for your care, should anything ever happen that causes you to be incapable of making healthcare decisions for yourself.

A living will is a document that outlines your wishes for the kind of care and medical intervention that you want (or specifically do not want) if you become terminally ill or find yourself in need of life-support but are unable to speak or otherwise communicate, as could be the case if you fall into a coma.