"...One of the best templates is called Five Wishes, which was created by Aging With Dignity ...

Five Wishes is a living will, a 12-page document that prompts individuals to consider five questions and issues: who your health-care agent should be (the person to make decisions if you're unable to do so); what kind of medical treatment you want in various situations; how comfortable you wish to be (addressing issues like pain medication); how you want people to treat you (would you prefer to die at home?) and what you want your loved ones to know (where you wish to be buried, for instance).

Perhaps most important, the document encourages users to discuss issues that go beyond medical care, Mr. Malley says, such as spiritual needs and family duties during a serious illness. "So often, a living will just asks about life-support treatment," he says. "An 'X' in a box is just not enough."

--Ruffenach, Glenn, "Living wills: reader tips," The Wall Street Journal, July 11, 2004

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Click here to listen to an interview by Glenn Ruffenach with  president Paul Malley.