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Advance directives include legal documentation such as a living will, power of attorney and do not resuscitate (DNR) orders. The directive documents identify who will make decisions if the patient is unable to and who will be involved in their final care.

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. With a medical power of attorney you can appoint a person to make healthcare decisions for you in case you are unable to speak for yourself.

Duration ? in California there is no automatic time limit on an Advance Directive. Unless you state a specific date when you want your document to expire, your Advance Directive stays in effect until you decide to revoke it.

Problems with Advance Directives Sometimes, people change their minds after expressing advance directives and forget to inform others. Many times, advance directives are too vague to guide clinical decisions.

The two most common advance directives for health care are the living will and the durable power of attorney for health care.

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.

The form must be signed by two qualified witnesses or acknowledged before a notary public. Give a copy of the signed and completed form to your physician, to any other health care providers you may have, to any health care institution at which you are receiving care, and to any health care agents you have named.