Care and support systems
Living will
An older, everyday name for a written statement of what treatment you would refuse.
What it means
Widely understood but rarely the official term any more. Most systems have a specific legal name for the document that counts, and their requirements differ. Whether a document is recognised depends on local law rather than on what it is called, so it is the local rules that matter here rather than the word.
Why you might hear it
- Older sources and family members often use this phrase.
- It usually means the same thing as an advance directive.
Related words
People who may help
Where Compass goes into this
About this explanation
These are plain explanations of words you may come across, not advice about your own situation. Where a word matters to a decision, the question pages go into it properly, and your own team is the place to take it.