An advance directive is a document that describes who will make medical, financial, and other decisions for you if you are incapacitated or judged to be mentally incompetent. In addition to specifying the person(s) you want to carry out your wishes, it specifies in advance what decisions you want made on your behalf.
There are basically three types of advance directives:
• Living Will: Allows you to refuse in advance life prolonging procedures such as ventilators, surgery, and feeding tubes under certain circumstances if you become incapacitated.
• Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (health care proxy): Allows you appoint someone to make health care decisions for you if you become incapacitated.
• Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Issues: Allows you to appoint someone to manage your finances if you should become incapacitated.
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