Treatment Preferences
Clear written guidance on life-sustaining treatment, resuscitation, ventilation, nutrition, and hydration.
Living Wills
Overview
A practice rooted in care and clarity.
Advance directives — often called "living wills" — are written instructions you specify for your family and your doctor about what kinds of medical care you want, or do not want, to receive if you become unable to make those decisions yourself.
They are quiet documents that do loud, important work in the most difficult moments. A clear living will spares your loved ones from guessing, from arguing, and from carrying the weight of an impossible decision alone.
I assist clients across Lackawanna County in preparing thoughtful advance directives that reflect their values, their faith, and their wishes — so their voice is preserved even when their voice is not available.
Who needs this
Adults of every age — from young parents to seniors planning ahead — who want their medical wishes documented in writing.
When to consider it
Before a planned surgery, after a serious diagnosis, or simply as part of a complete estate plan. The earlier the better — these are not documents to draft in a hospital waiting room.
The process
A measured, transparent journey.
Every engagement follows a deliberate cadence — so you always know where we are and what comes next.
- 01
Conversation about your wishes
We talk through the medical scenarios that matter to you, in plain language and without rushing.
- 02
Choosing a healthcare agent
Together we identify the right person to speak on your behalf — someone you trust to honor your wishes.
- 03
Drafting the directive
Documents are prepared in compliance with Pennsylvania law and tailored to your specific instructions.
- 04
Signing & distribution
We coordinate proper execution and share copies with your family, physicians, and healthcare agent.
Key components
What's included in your engagement.
01
Pennsylvania Living Will
A formal written declaration of your end-of-life medical wishes.
02
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Naming a trusted agent to make medical decisions if you cannot.
03
Treatment preferences
Specific guidance on life-sustaining treatment, resuscitation, nutrition, and hydration.
04
Religious & personal values
Written instructions reflecting the beliefs and priorities that matter most to you.
05
HIPAA authorization
Allowing your healthcare agent and family appropriate access to medical information.
06
Distribution to providers
Ensuring your physicians and family have copies on file when needed.
Client story
Clarity that spared a family an impossible choice.
A client in her late seventies wanted to be certain her adult children would never be put in the position of making conflicting decisions about her care. We prepared a detailed living will and named her eldest daughter as healthcare agent — with clear, specific instructions for the scenarios that worried her most.
Outcome
When the moment came years later, her family followed her written voice — together, and without doubt.
Common questions
Answers to what we hear most.
A living will documents your wishes about end-of-life care. A healthcare power of attorney names a person to make medical decisions for you. Most plans include both.
No. A DNR is a narrow medical order. A living will is a broader written statement of your wishes that guides many possible decisions.
Yes — you can revoke or update your advance directive at any time, as long as you are competent to do so.
Pennsylvania allows certain self-prepared forms, but a properly drafted document — coordinated with the rest of your plan — avoids ambiguity at the moment it matters most.
Why a living will
The hardest decisions are the ones no one wants to make on your behalf.
When a family is asked to choose between treatments for a loved one who can no longer answer for themselves, every option feels heavier than the last. A living will lifts that weight — not by removing the moment, but by removing the guesswork.
Your written wishes give your family permission to follow what you actually wanted. That single gift, prepared once, can spare years of doubt afterward.
What it can address
Specific, written instructions for the moments that matter most.
A Pennsylvania advance directive is far more than a single yes-or-no question. Done well, it speaks to the situations a family is most likely to face.
Healthcare Agent
Naming the trusted person who will speak for you, with backup agents in the right order if needed.
Personal & Religious Values
Written instructions reflecting your faith, your priorities, and the beliefs that matter most to your care.
Choosing your healthcare agent
The right person, named for the right reasons.
Your agent is the person who will speak for you when you cannot. They don't have to be the closest relative — they have to be the one most likely to honor your wishes calmly, even under pressure.
- Someone who knows your values and will follow them, not their own
- Someone able to make difficult decisions without freezing under stress
- Someone who can be reached and is willing to act when needed
- A backup agent — and ideally a second backup — named in clear order
After you sign
A directive only works when the right people have it in hand.
Once your living will is properly executed under Pennsylvania law, copies need to reach your healthcare agent, your physicians, and the family member most likely to be present in an emergency. A document in a drawer doesn't help anyone in a hospital corridor.
We coordinate distribution at signing and revisit it every few years — because addresses change, doctors retire, and the right people to hold a copy may shift over time.
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