People told to make a living will

Recent research has highlighted the importance of making living wills, according to Julian Savulescu, a professor of practical ethics at Oxford University.

Professor Savulescu told Practicalethics.ox.ac.uk that the recent study by Stephen Laureys and a research team into locked-in syndrome showed that living wills should be made.

Although the study found that more than half of those with the condition were experiencing some sort of satisfaction with their lives, Professor Savulescu argued that not all of the patients' responses were analysed as they were incomplete and the patients who had no way of communicating could not be questioned.

He said that even if people who developed severe medical problems did change their mind about treatments once they had been afflicted by an illness, a living will was still a useful document to make.

However, he advised people making this document to be aware that they could change their minds about their wishes somewhere down the line.

In addition, Money Marketing last year said that living wills should be made so that people can choose how their health will be treated in the future if their mental faculties are no longer what they were.

Published by Hannah Carr