Roles & Authority

Advance Directive

A document stating your wishes for medical care if you cannot speak for yourself, often paired with naming a healthcare proxy to decide on your behalf.

An advance directive spares the people who love you from guessing during the worst week of their lives. It records what treatment you would and would not want.

The companion decision is naming a healthcare proxy — someone authorized to make medical decisions for you. Tell that person you named them, and tell them what you actually want.

Related Terms

Power of Attorney

A document authorizing someone to act on your behalf — commonly for financial matters — while you are alive but unable to act for yourself.

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