Bowling Green, Ky. - Adults throughout the area will have a chance to make their final wishes known by completing their living will at the Living Will Symposium on Saturday, May 7, from noon till 8 p.m. in the Community Room at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Bowling Green. This free and convenient opportunity to complete a living will is sponsored by Western's Public Radio, WKYU-PBS and the Law Firm of Harned, Bachert and Denton.

Beginning at noon, adults 18 years old or older can stop by Barnes & Noble at 1680 Campbell Lane in Bowling Green and receive information about Kentucky living wills. Additionally, staff and volunteers from Western's Public Broadcasting and Harned, Bachert and Denton will be on-hand to help fill-out, sign and notarize living wills. Copies will be provided for the individual, their doctor and a family member or health care surrogate.

Jack Hanes, director of Educational Telecommunications at Western Kentucky University, said: "In light of recent publicity and right to die issues across the county, this is an opportunity for Public Broadcasting to fulfill its role in serving the community. Events such as this are core to the mission of what we do at Western's Public Broadcasting, and we are fortunate to have the help of Harned, Bachert and Denton and Barnes & Noble in making this possible."

Those who wish to complete their living will must bring their Kentucky driver's license and the names of two health care surrogates if they choose to name surrogates in their document. A health care surrogate is someone chosen to make health care decisions should a person become unable to do so. The Kentucky Living Will also has a section to indicate the preference for organ/tissue donation.

After signing in, the process should only take a few minutes to complete. Those attending will get information and instructions about completing a living will. Their name and other necessary information will be entered into the living will form, and the form will be printed. Next, they will complete and initial their living will directive, the section that identifies what, if any, type of life-sustaining treatment they wish to receive. After the form is completed, the participant will sign and date it, it will be notarized, and copies will be made. The entire process should take less than 10 minutes after signing in.

Attorneys from the Law Firm of Harned, Bachert and Denton will be available to answer any questions participants may have. Scott Bachert, partner with Harned, Bachert and Denton, said: "The Firm is thrilled to work with Western's Public Broadcasting and provide this free service to the community. Everyone 18 or older should have a living will - age is not a factor in making your wishes known."

The Living Will Symposium is sponsored by Western's Public Radio, which consists of stations WKYU-FM in Bowling Green, WDCL-FM in Somerset, WKPB-FM in Henderson/Owensboro and WKUE-FM in Elizabethtown. Other sponsors are WKYU-PBS in Bowling Green and the Law Firm of Harned, Bachert and Denton in Bowling Green. The event is hosted by Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Bowling Green.

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For more information, contact: Terry Reagan, 1-800-599-9598.