The Indiana Living Will Declaration, also known as “Form 55316”, is an official document that is a part of the Indiana Advance Directive. It protects the rights of a resident who wishes to state their preferences concerning end-of-life care in case of becoming incapable of expressing them.
The living will form is of immense importance for those who suffer from incurable illnesses and older adults. However, it is worth looking into for any person concerned about how to manage his future health care in an unpredictable situation, for example if the ability to speak for yourself is lost under any circumstances such as a stroke or accident.
It is declared in § 16-36-4-10 of Indiana state law that an individual who has reached the age of 18 may want to give written instructions about the withholding or withdrawal of the medical procedures that prolong his life. It is against the law for the attending physician to decide which treatment to perform if the patient loses the ability to communicate.
The following terms concerning Living Wills and Life Prolonging Procedures can be found defined in Title 16-36-4 of Indiana state law:
The Living Will Form will not be evaluated as valid unless two competent witnesses sign the document stating they have no doubts that the declarant is aware of the choice they are making. According to Indiana state law, a witness should not be the declarant’s spouse, child, or parent and should be at least 18 years of age. It has to be someone known by the person stating their living will.
You may want to pay your attention to the fact that if a person does not want to make decisions about his future medical treatment when he is comatose or unable to verbally express the instructions he would like the medical personnel to follow, there is an option of establishing an agent, who will be responsible for life prolongation or natural death of the declarant if the latter fills in the Health Care Representative Appointment, or “Form 56184.”
Ensure that your relatives or attorney know that the Living Will Declaration has been created and inform them of the location. In case of an accident, there will be an opportunity to register and follow the form’s directions.
| Document Name | Indiana Living Will Form |
| State Form Name | Indiana Living Will Declaration, Indiana Form 55316 |
| Signing Requirements | Two Witnesses |
| Validity Requirements | Section 16-36-4-8 |
| Specific Powers | Section 16-36-4-10 |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 13 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 48 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF; Microsoft Word |
| State Laws: Indiana Code, Sections 16-36-4-0.1 to 16-36-4-21 | |
Once a person decides to complete and sign the Living Will Form, they will need to follow five simple steps below:
1. Download the form
The Indiana Living Will Declaration is available on our website as a PDF file. You can conveniently use our Online Forms Building Software to fill out the Indiana Living Will form.
2. Input your personal info
The first part of the declaration will need to be completed with your full name and month and year of establishing your decisions.
3. Express your wish upon life-sustaining procedures
There are three possible options in this section of the document, which are: receiving artificial hydration and nutrition to sustain one’s life even if this turns out to be burdensome, turning down life-sustaining medical treatment, or making no decision and leaving this to a legal representative (Health Care Representative Appointment, or “Form 56184”).
4. Put your signature
To make this document effective, you will need to sign it, approving that your decisions have been made willfully.
5. Ensure Witnesses Signing the Declaration
After writing about the preferences you have chosen, leave the document for the people who agreed to witness that you have made your decisions without any force or in a state of mental dysfunction.
