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Current thinking about advance care planning reveals it to be composed of behaviors including clarification of values; communication among patients, surrogates, and clinicians; and completion of written directives.

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Creating advance directives Advance directives need to be in writing. Each state has different forms and requirements for creating legal documents. Depending on where you live, a form may need to be signed by a witness or notarized. You can ask a lawyer to help you with the process, but it is generally not necessary.

There are two basic kinds of advance directives: living wills and health care powers of attorney. (See also Overview of Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care. For example, people have the legal right to make their own health care decisions.

An advance directive encompasses all legal orders which concern your wishes surrounding future medical care. The document will come into play in the case of severe medical situations in which you're not able to communicate your wishes or make decisions. These may include such conditions as a coma, stroke or dementia.

As long as you can still make your own decisions, your advance directive won't be used. You can change or cancel it at any time. Your health care agent will only make choices for you if you can't or don't want to decide for yourself.

A living will and a medical power of attorney are the main types of advance directives. If you don't have a living will and a health care agent, a person other than your family member may decide what kind of care you receive. A decision may be made by a doctor who doesn't know you, or it may even be made by the courts.