What is an Arizona living will?

Your living will is where you record your wishes about life-sustaining treatment when you can no longer communicate them yourself. That includes whether you want CPR attempted, whether you would accept tube feeding or a ventilator, whether you want to be kept on life support, and your preferences around palliative care — treatments designed to reduce pain and suffering rather than prolong life.

Putting these decisions in writing now allows you, and only you, to define what end-of-life care should look like. It means your healthcare team has clear instructions, and your family is not left guessing about what you would have wanted in the most difficult moment of their lives.

First, a living will prepares you for the unexpected. If the COVID pandemic taught us anything, it's that incapacity can come without warning — through cognitive decline, illness, or sudden injury — and at any age. Second, a living will ensures your wishes for end-of-life care are followed. Most people have firm preferences about the type of care they want; a living will is the only reliable way to make sure those preferences guide the decisions actually made on your behalf.

Third, it dramatically reduces the stress and guilt placed on your family. Without a living will, loved ones can be left arguing about whether to continue or withdraw life support — a decision that can permanently fracture relationships. With one, your family has the comfort of knowing they are honoring your wishes rather than guessing at them. And fourth, a living will helps preserve your estate. Many people don't want their savings spent on prolonged medical care when there is little hope of recovery; recording your wishes is the surest way to keep your legacy intact for the next generation.

Arizona requires that a living will be written with clear intent, dated, and signed. It must be either notarized or witnessed and signed by at least one adult. Importantly, the witness or notary cannot be the person you've designated to make medical decisions for you, or anyone directly involved in your healthcare at the time the document is signed.

Once your living will is complete, keep the original in a safe but accessible place and provide copies to your medical providers (doctors, hospitals, and any hospice or palliative care team), your healthcare agent and any alternate agents, and your attorney. Keep a record of who has copies and review it every few years to ensure it stays current. And remember — a living will is never set in stone. You can change or revoke it at any time, for any reason. If you do, send updated copies to everyone who had the previous version.