Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Louisiana

Re: Living Will with Medical Power of Attorney

We have, the last time I checked, 3 approved forms for living wills. You can probably find them by googling Louisiana living will forms. The three that we have are all one page long. We advise our clients to make sure a close relative and their doctor has a copy of whatever they execute while they are alive. Telling your doctor what you want goes a long way to avoiding disputes among children.

Re: Living Will with Medical Power of Attorney

Dear LawGuru Friend,

Nothing that Attorney LeBlanc from Baton Rouge has told you is not correct. I would just ad that most hospitals have living will forms available for free, and I am sure these forms have been prepared by their hospital attorneys. Frankly, I believe hospitals push living wills so that they will have an excuse to pull the plug when they can no longer milk the insruance company any longer. I am just as sure, living will or not, as long as the hospital can continue to milk the insurance cow, they are not going to pull the plug. That is why they engage in the business of providing "living wills." And just what the difference is between a "medical power of attorney" and a living will is not fully understood by me; but I plan to research this to see what I can learn. Of course,as you are obviously a lawyer, you would do well to take a look at the living will statute so as to make sure you follow the requirements as to form. Best of luck! But you have peaked my interest, as to just what is the difference between a living will and a medical power of attorney. Good luck to you and your client or clients.

Sincerely,

Hardy Parkerson, Atty.

Lake Charles