A living will – also known as an advance directive – is an estate planning document that expresses your explicit preferences for end-of-life care. While beneficial, Massachusetts does not recognize living wills. Individuals in Massachusetts may still sign a living will, as it can document preferences for family members or a health care proxy, so that they may direct your end-of-life care in alignment with your wishes.
By creating an advanced medical directive in combination with a health care proxy, your named agent will have comprehensive guidance regarding your care.
A relatively new planning device in Massachusetts is Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (known as a “Molst”). These are so new that we find our client’s physicians have not always heard of this planning device. A Molst is not a document you can prepare with an attorney because it is a medical order, but instead, you would review and complete it with your physician. For more information see molst-ma.org/