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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.

Many times, advance directives are too vague to guide clinical decisions. For example, general statements rejecting "heroic treatments" are vague and do not indicate whether you want a particular treatment for a specific situation (such as antibiotics for pneumonia after a severe stroke).

Living will. A living will is a written, legal document that spells out medical treatments you would and would not want to be used to keep you alive, as well as your preferences for other medical decisions, such as pain management or organ donation. In determining your wishes, think about your values.

Advance directives are legal documents that provide instructions for medical care and only go into effect if you cannot communicate your own wishes. The two most common advance directives for health care are the living will and the durable power of attorney for health care.

No one can change your advance directive without your permission. If you want to change it, you can do that, but no one else can do it without your knowledge. Your appointed healthcare agent can make medical decisions for you.

A Vermont medical power of attorney form permits a resident to elect a healthcare surrogate who will execute their medical preferences while they are incapacitated and can no longer make competent decisions. The surrogate will be authorized to accept or deny healthcare treatments on the patient's behalf.