Quickly create your Louisiana Health Care Directive and Living Will

You can complete FindLaw’s attorney-created health care directive and living will forms in less than an hour at home. Our guided process takes you through a few easy steps and includes a free HIPAA release form. You’ll be able to download, print and sign your documents in no time.

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There are special considerations to make if you have a blended family or a child with special needs. In these cases, it may be best to talk to an attorney.

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Speaking with
a FindLaw Attorney

Our directory of experienced, local attorneys can help you with circumstances such as:

What’s included:

Being part of a blended family
Caring for children with special needs
Establishing and maintaining trusts
…and any other concerns you have!

Do you have a large estate or an interest in more advanced estate planning tools like trusts?

If your estate equals or exceeds a value of $1 million, or needs special estate planning tools like trusts, it may be best to talk with an attorney.

Yes

Speaking with
a FindLaw Attorney

Our directory of experienced, local attorneys can help you with circumstances such as:

What’s included:

Being part of a blended family
Caring for children with special needs
Establishing and maintaining trusts
…and any other concerns you have!

Are you looking to have your estate planning basics covered?

Our Estate Planning Package includes a Last Will & Testament, Health Care Directive & Living Will, and Financial Power of Attorney to cover all of your basic estate planning needs.

Yes

Do you have a spouse with similar needs?

Yes

Do you have minor children?

If you have minor children, you will want to name a guardian for them.

Yes

Do you have pets?

If you have a pet or pets, you will want to name someone to care for them.

Yes

Do you want to leave gifts to people or a charity?

If you want to give items or money to people or charities, you will want to make what are known as “specific gifts.”

Yes

Do you own a business?

If you own a business or a share of a business, you will want to plan for succession of ownership.

Yes

Do you want to decide how your property is distributed when you pass away?

Yes

Do you want someone to handle your health care decisions if you are unable?

In case you are incapacitated, you will want to list your health care preferences and name someone to handle your health care decisions.

Yes

Do you want to specify someone who can make financial decisions for you if you are unavailable or incapacitated?

Yes

Do you have a spouse with similar needs?

Yes

Do you have a spouse with similar needs?

Yes

Do you want to specify someone who can make financial decisions for you if you are unavailable or incapacitated?

Yes

Do you have a spouse with similar needs?

Yes

Do you have a spouse with similar needs?

Yes

Do you want someone to handle your health care decisions if you are unable?

In case you are incapacitated, you will want to list your health care preferences and name someone to handle your health care decisions.

Yes

Do you want to specify someone who can make financial decisions for you if you are unavailable or incapacitated?

Yes

Do you have a spouse with similar needs?

Yes

Do you have a spouse with similar needs?

Yes

Do you want to specify someone who can make financial decisions for you if you are unavailable or incapacitated?

Yes

Do you have a spouse with similar needs?

Yes

Speaking with
a FindLaw Attorney

Our directory of experienced, local attorneys can help you with circumstances such as:

What’s included:

Being part of a blended family
Caring for children with special needs
Establishing and maintaining trusts
…and any other concerns you have!

Estate Planning Package

For One Person

*Select your state

$135

What’s included:

Last will and testament
Health care directive & living will
Financial power of attorney
Free HIPAA release form
A comprehensive plan — for less
Free changes and revisions for one full year after purchase

*Select your state

Financial Power of Attorney

For One Person

*Select your state

$39

What’s included:

Try our easy step-by-step guide
Create your state-specific documents before you buy
Only purchase if you are satisfied with your estate planning documents
Create a power of attorney that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free changes and revisions to your document for a full year after purchase

*Select your state

Health Care Directive & Living Will

For One Person

*Select your state

$39

What’s included:

Try our easy step-by-step guide
Create your health care directive and living will before you buy
Only purchase if you are satisfied with your estate planning documents
Create a document that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free HIPAA release form
Free changes and revisions to your document for a full year after purchase

*Select your state

Last Will and Testament

For One Person

*Select your state

$79

What’s included:

Try our easy step-by-step guide
Create your documents before you buy
Only purchase if you are satisfied with your estate planning documents
Create a last will and testament that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free changes and revisions to your will for a full year after purchase

*Select your state

Estate Planning Package

For Two People

*Select your state

$255

What’s included:

Two wills, health care directives & living wills, and financial powers of attorney
Two free HIPAA release forms
You and your loved one create your own estate plans tailored to your individual needs
Attorney-approved documents customized to your state’s laws
Free changes and revisions for one full year after purchase

*Select your state

Financial Power of Attorney

For Two People

*Select your state

$78

What’s included:

Try our easy step-by-step guide
Create your state-specific, attorney-approved documents before you buy
Only purchase if you are satisfied with your estate planning documents
Create an attorney-approved power of attorney that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free changes and revisions to your document for a full year after purchase

*Select your state

Health Care Directive & Living Will

For Two People

*Select your state

$78

What’s included:

Try our easy step-by-step guide
Create your state-specific, attorney-approved documents before you buy.
Only purchase if you are satisfied with your estate planning documents
Create an attorney-approved document that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free HIPAA release form
Free changes and revisions to your document for a full year after purchase

*Select your state

Last Will and Testament

For Two People

*Select your state

$149

What’s included:

Try our easy step-by-step guide
Create your state-specific, attorney-approved documents before you buy
Only purchase if you are satisfied with your estate planning documents
Create two wills customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free changes and revisions to your wills for a full year after purchase

*Select your state

Health Care Directive & Living Will + Financial Power of Attorney

For One Person

*Select your state

$78

What’s included:

Try our easy step-by-step guide
Create your health care directive and living will before you buy
Only purchase if you are satisfied with your estate planning documents
Create a document that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free HIPAA release form
Free changes and revisions to your document for a full year after purchase
Create your state-specific documents before you buy
Create a power of attorney that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws

*Select your state

Last Will and Testament + Financial Power of Attorney

For One Person

*Select your state

$118

What’s included:

Try our easy step-by-step guide
Create your documents before you buy
Only purchase if you are satisfied with your estate planning documents
Create a last will and testament that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free changes and revisions to your will for a full year after purchase
Create your state-specific documents before you buy
Create a power of attorney that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free changes and revisions to your document for a full year after purchase

*Select your state

Last Will and Testament + Health Care Directive & Living Will

For One Person

*Select your state

$118

What’s included:

Try our easy step-by-step guide
Create your documents before you buy
Only purchase if you are satisfied with your estate planning documents
Create a last will and testament that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free changes and revisions to your will for a full year after purchase
Create your health care directive and living will before you buy
Create a document that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free HIPAA release form
Free changes and revisions to your document for a full year after purchase

*Select your state

Health Care Directive & Living Will + Financial Power of Attorney

For Two People

*Select your state

$156

What’s included:

Try our easy step-by-step guide
Create your state-specific, attorney-approved documents before you buy.
Only purchase if you are satisfied with your estate planning documents
Create an attorney-approved document that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free HIPAA release form
Free changes and revisions to your document for a full year after purchase
Create your state-specific, attorney-approved documents before you buy
Create an attorney-approved power of attorney that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws

*Select your state

Last Will and Testament + Financial Power of Attorney

For Two People

*Select your state

$227

What’s included:

Try our easy step-by-step guide
Create your state-specific, attorney-approved documents before you buy
Only purchase if you are satisfied with your estate planning documents
Create two wills customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free changes and revisions to your wills for a full year after purchase
Create an attorney-approved power of attorney that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free changes and revisions to your document for a full year after purchase

*Select your state

Last Will and Testament + Health Care Directive & Living Will

For Two People

*Select your state

$227

What’s included:

Try our easy step-by-step guide
Create your state-specific, attorney-approved documents before you buy
Only purchase if you are satisfied with your estate planning documents
Create two wills customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free changes and revisions to your wills for a full year after purchase
Create your state-specific, attorney-approved documents before you buy.
Create an attorney-approved document that’s customized to your wishes and your state’s laws
Free HIPAA release form
Free changes and revisions to your document for a full year after purchase

*Select your state

The benefits of having a Louisiana Health Care Directive and Living Will

A health care directive and living will specifies your wishes for end-of-life care and life-sustaining treatment. It prevents confusion, puts your family at ease, and directs your health care team. FindLaw’s quick and easy process allows you to create a finished document in accordance with Louisiana law in under an hour.

FindLaw provides everything you need:

Learn about your options for a DIY health care directive and living will
Use the guided process to create a personalized health care directive and living will
Find out how to make your health care directive and living will valid
Find answers to common questions about health care directives and living wills

Last updated: January 25, 2022

Written by:

Linda Long, J.D.

Contributing Author

Reviewed by:

Tim Kelly, J.D.

Contributing Author

Louisiana Health Care Directive Living Will Options to Suit Your Needs

Health Care Directive & Living Will
For One Person

A do-it-yourself health care directive & living will that’s easy to personalize.

$39

What’s included:

Step-by-step guided process

A health care directive and living will tailored to your needs

Attorney-approved document compliant with your state’s laws

Free HIPAA release form

Free changes and revisions to your document for up to a full year after purchase

* Select your state:

BEST VALUE

Estate Planning Package
For one person

All the forms you need to create a personal estate plan

$135

What’s included:

Last will and testament

Health care directive & living will

Financial power of attorney

Free HIPAA release form

A comprehensive plan — for less

Free changes and revisions for up to one year after purchase

* Select your state:

How It Works

Create your health care directive & living will in under an hour.

Answer Some Questions

Decide who will be your health care agent/proxy and which medical treatments you would request or refuse.

Create an Account

Creating an account is easy, quick, and secure. Save your information as you go and return when you have time.

Complete Your Document

Once you answer the relevant questions, we do the hard part and create your unique document.

Print, Sign & Make It Legal

Print and sign your document according to the instructions. Give a copy to your doctors and agent/proxy.

What’s Next To Make My Louisiana Health Care Directive and Living Will Valid?

Follow these steps:

Choose your agent.

Choosing your health care agent or health care proxy is a crucial decision you must make before finalizing your health care directive and living will. You should choose a person who is trustworthy and decisive. They must be comfortable strictly adhering to the wishes you express in your health care directive and living will.

You should also consider choosing an alternate agent should your primary agent be unable or unwilling to perform the duties that you have requested. An alternate agent should also be trustworthy, decisive, and a good advocate.

State your medical treatment preferences.

The purpose of drafting a health care directive and living will is to make crucial health care decisions for yourself while you are mentally and physically able to do so. You should have a health care directive and living will so that if the time comes when you cannot speak for yourself, your loved ones and health care provider will already know what to do.

Some medical treatment preferences that you may want to consider when completing your living will include:

Use or withdrawal of life support treatment
The use of comfort care
What, if any, surgical treatment you desire
Use of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
Life-sustaining procedures
The use of aggressive treatments

Signing requirements.

In Louisiana, a health care directive and living will must be signed by the principal (you) and two witnesses who certify that they saw you sign it. The document does not have to be notarized.

You May Want to Speak With a Lawyer if:

Your family disagrees with your medical choices
You don’t know who to appoint as your agent
You have questions about life prolonging measures
You want legal review of your completed document

Find a Local Estate Planning Lawyer

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Louisiana Health Care Directive and Living Will FAQs

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What is a health care directive and living will?

A health care directive and living will is a legal document that allows you to state with certainty what life-sustaining procedures you desire. Suppose you are temporarily or permanently unconscious and cannot express your wishes. In that case, a health care directive and living will goes into effect. This document speaks for you when you are unable to speak for yourself.

What are the legal requirements for a health care directive and living will in Louisiana?

In Louisiana, an advance directive document must be:

Signed by a declarant who is over the age of 18
Signed by two witnesses that viewed the declarant’s signature

Adults can also make valid oral or nonverbal declarations so long as the declarations were made:

In the presence of two witnesses
By any nonwritten means of communication
Subsequent to a diagnosis of a terminal and irreversible condition

Who should have a health care directive and living will?

Every person 18 years or older should have a health care directive and living will. Also known as a health care advance directive, this document is an essential part of health care planning and your larger estate plan. FindLaw’s do-it-yourself options help you complete this important legal document in the comfort of your own home quickly and inexpensively.

What is the difference between a living will and a durable power of attorney?

A living will is a legal document that states your medical treatment preferences for end-of-life care.

A durable power of attorney is a legal document that appoints a person to take care of various affairs of the declarant. The types of affairs that the durable power of attorney covers may include financial, the right to enter into contracts, and health care decisions.

Do I need a lawyer to create a legally valid Louisiana health care directive and living will?

Louisiana state law does not require you to hire an attorney to complete a legally valid health care directive and living will. FindLaw’s simple, step-by-step process will provide you with all of the information you need to create your own.

FindLaw is not a law firm, and the forms are not a substitute for the advice or services of an attorney. Some people do prefer to have an attorney review or help create a health care directive and living will. This can be beneficial if you anticipate disagreement from family members, for example, or if you have other concerns or questions.

Complex Family Situation? Need Additional Guidance?

Contact a local estate planning attorney.

Quickly create your Louisiana Health Care Directive and Living Will

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Health Care Directive & Living Will + Financial Power of Attorney

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Health Care Directive & Living Will
For One Person

Estate Planning Package
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