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A POLST does not include a patient's wishes for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, where an advance medical directive does. A POLST is a legal binding document and an advance medical directive is not. A POLST is a form of medical orders, while an advance medical directive is used when a patient cannot speak for themselves.

To make valid in California, your Advance Directive must be signed by two witnesses, OR acknowledged before a Notary Public. An Advance Directive lets you have a say about how you want to be treated if you get very sick.

Is POLST mandated by law? Filling out a POLST form is entirely voluntary. However, California law requires that the physician orders in a POLST be followed by health care professionals, and provides immunity from civil or criminal liability to those who comply in good faith with a patient's POLST requests.

POLST addresses a range of life-sustaining measures and allows a person to choose treatment, as well as forego treatment. A DNR only addresses resuscitation and only allows for forgoing treatment.

A POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR HEALTH CARE lets you name an agent to make decisions for you. Your agent can make most medical decisions ? not just those about life sustaining treatment ? when you can't speak for yourself. You can also let your agent make decisions earlier, if you wish.

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.

All adults should have an advance directive but an advance directive does not give medial orders. Instead, it provides an idea of what treatments the patient would like to receive and identifies a surrogate who can help make treatment decisions on behalf of the patient. A POLST form gives medical orders.

Advance directives are legal documents that allow you to plan and make your own end-of- life wishes known in the event that you are unable to communicate. 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.

Fact: Most of us have some ambivalence about what we would want because treatment near the end of life can be complicated. Advance health care directives can always be changed if/when your wishes or circumstances change.

Advance directives generally fall into three categories: living will, power of attorney and health care proxy.