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Advance directives consist of (1) a living will and (2) a medical (healthcare) power of attorney. A living will describes your wishes regarding medical care. With a medical power of attorney you can appoint a person to make healthcare decisions for you in case you are unable to speak for yourself.

The two most common advance directives for health care are the living will and the durable power of attorney for health care. Living will: A living will is a legal document that tells doctors how you want to be treated if you cannot make your own decisions about emergency treatment.

Advance directives include legal documentation such as a living will, power of attorney and do not resuscitate (DNR) orders. The directive documents identify who will make decisions if the patient is unable to and who will be involved in their final care.

They enable physicians and surrogates to make good-faith efforts to respect the patient's goals and implement the patient's preferences when the patient does not have decision-making capacity. An advance directive never takes precedence over the contemporaneous wishes of a patient who has decision-making capacity.

ADVANCE DIRECTIVES. A written document stating how you want medical decisions to be made if you lose the ability to make them for yourself. It may include a Living Will and a Durable Power of Attorney for health care. ADVISORY COUNCIL ON SOCIAL SECURITY.

Types of Advance Directives The living will. Durable power of attorney for health care/Medical power of attorney. POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) Do not resuscitate (DNR) orders. Organ and tissue donation.

The two most common advance directives for health care are the living will and the durable power of attorney for health care.

Problems with Advance Directives Sometimes, people change their minds after expressing advance directives and forget to inform others. Many times, advance directives are too vague to guide clinical decisions.

Write down their wishes, preferences and instructions for future health care, end of life, living arrangements and personal matters and/or. appoint one or more Substitute Decision-Makers to make these decisions on their behalf when they are unable to do so themselves.

To be valid, an advance directive must be signed by you in the presence of two witnesses, who will also sign. The person you name as a health care agent may not also be a witness. Some states also require the advance directive to be notarized.