Living Wills

Advance Directives

An advance directive is a legal document you sign that lets others know your health care choices. It is used when you are not able to speak for yourself. Sometimes this is called a "living will" or a "durable power of attorney."

An advance directive can let you:

• Pick a person to make choices about your medical care for you
• Say what kind of medical treatment you want to receive if you become too ill to tell others what your wishes are

It is important to talk about an advance directive with your family, your PCP, or others who might help you with these things.