USA Advance Directive Forms
Put your wishes regarding life support and medical treatments down in writing with an Advance Medical Directive form for U.S. residents.
What Is an advance medical directive?
An advance medical directive—sometimes referred to as a living will or health care directive—is a document that provides instructions to your attending physician about your preferences for medical care. It would be applied in situations where you are unable to communicate your decisions, such as if you are in a persistent vegetative state (such as coma) or if death is imminent due to disease or injury.
What types of treatments can you specify in an advance directive?
In general, you can state whether or not you wish to be kept alive by artificial means. You can include directions regarding the administration of pain medication, tube feeding, intravenous drugs, and other medical interventions (such as ventilation), ensuring your wishes are respected if you are no longer able to express them yourself.
Is an advance directive the same as a health care power of attorney?
No, an advance medical directive is distinct from a health care power of attorney. While the advance directive provides your instructions for life-sustaining treatments, a health care power of attorney appoints someone to make health care decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated and unable to make those decisions.
Which form is right for me?
Each state has its own specific laws and requirements for creating an advance medical directive. Be sure to use the appropriate form for your state of residence, to ensure your wishes are legally recognized and followed.
Alabama Advance Health Care Directive Package
Prepare your Advance Directive for Health Care with this easy-to-use downloadable forms package for Alabama residents.
- The package contains:
- Living Will form.
- Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.
- Organ Donation Instructions.
- Information and instructions to help you complete the forms.
- The forms can be used by more than one person in your household by filling in the appropriate information on a separate copy for each person.
- Available in MS Word format.
- Intended to be used only in the State of Alabama.
Alaska Advance Health Care Directive Package
An Advance Health Care Directive ensures that your family and your doctor know what your wishes are regarding medical treatment and life support if you are unable to communicate.
- This package of forms for Alaska residents contains the following documents:
- Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, where you can appoint someone you trust to make health care decisions for you if you become unable to do so.
- Instructions for Health Care, where you can set out your wishes and instructions regarding such things as end-of-life care, life support, pain relief, etc.
- Anatomical Gift form where you can specify if you wish to donate organs and tissues after your death.
- Mental Health Treatment instructions.
- Primary Physician designation.
- Information about the forms and instructions to guide you through completing them.
- These are reusable forms that can be used by more than one person in your household. No need to buy additional copies.
- Available in MS Word format.
- Intended to be used only in the State of Alaska.
Arizona Advance Directive Forms
Set out your wishes for life-sustaining treatment and appoint someone as your medical decision maker with these free Medical Living Will and Healthcare Power of Attorney forms for Arizona residents.
- None of us knows when an accident or illness might rob us of our ability to communicate. That's why we need to be prepared ahead of time.
- This package contains two forms issued by the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association.
- The Medical Living Will lets you put your instructions in writing regarding life-sustaining procedures that your family might have to make at some point in the future.
- The Healthcare Power of Attorney with Optional Mental Health Authority lets you appoint a medical decision maker to make health care decisions for you.
- Available in PDF format.
- This package is for residents of Arizona and complies with Arizona laws.
Arkansas Advance Health Care Directive Forms
Make an Advance Health Care Directive with this package of forms for Arkansas residents.
- The package contains the following:
- Arkansas Declaration, which sets out your instructions regarding end-of-life treatments,
- Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care appointing an agent/proxy to make health care decisions for you if you become unable to do so,
- Acceptance of Appointment, to be signed by the person you name as your agent/proxy,
- Organ Donation Form,
- EMS Do Not Resuscitate Order,
- information and instructions to help you complete the forms and properly execute them.
- Making an Advance Directive can help to ensure that your family and your doctor know what your wishes are regarding medical treatment and life support if you are unable to communicate or make your own decisions.
- These easy-to-use forms are provided in MS Word format and are re-usable.
- Intended to be used only in the State of Arkansas.
California Advance Health Care Directive Form
Make sure your family and your doctor know what your wishes are regarding medical treatment and life support with this free Advance Health Care Directive Form for California.
- An Advance Health Care Directive speaks for you if you are unable to communicate due to illness or injury.
- In Part 1 of the form you can, but are not required to, name another person to act as your agent, to make health care decisions on your behalf if you become unable to do so, or even if you retain capacity.
- You can give instructions about your health care in Part 2, for your agent (if you appoint one) and for your health care provider to follow.
- The form includes information and instructions to help you complete it.
- This is Form 3-1 issued by the California Hospital Association.
- Available in PDF format.
Colorado Advance Medical Directive Forms
Make an Advance Medical Directive with this package of forms for residents of Colorado.
- This package of forms contains the following:
- information about the purpose and intent of an advance directive (also known as a Living Will or health care proxy),
- instructions to help you complete the forms,
- Advance Directive for Medical / Surgical Treatment setting out your instructions regarding life sustaining procedures.
- Medical Durable Power of Attorney appointing an agent to make health care decisions for you.
- Making an Advance Directive can help to ensure that your family and your doctor know what your wishes are regarding medical treatment and life support if you are unable to communicate or make your own decisions.
- This package of forms is available in MS Word format and can be used by more than one person in your household.
- Intended to be used only in the State of Colorado.
Delaware Advance Health Care Directive Forms
Make your wishes for medical treatment known to your doctor and family with this Advance Health Care Directive forms package for Delaware.
- This package contains the following documents:
- a Power of Attorney for Health Care that allows you to name someone you trust to act as your agent to make healthcare decisions for you if you become unable to do so,
- a Health Care Directive (also known as a Living Will), in which you can give instructions about what types of end-of-life medical treatments you want or do not want,
- an Anatomical Gift Declaration (organ donor form),
- instructions and explanations to help you complete the forms.
- The forms can be used by more than one person in your family, just by filling in the appropriate information for each person.
- Available in MS Word format.
- Intended to be used only in the State of Delaware.
District of Columbia Advance Health Care Directive Package
Name someone you trust to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to with this Advance Health Care Directive Package for District of Columbia residents.
- This package contains:
- a Declaration (Living Will) setting out your wishes regarding end-of-life procedures and treatments,
- a Durable Health Care Power of Attorney appointing an agent to make health care decisions for you,
- an Organ Donation Form,
- an explanation of each of the forms and answers to common questions such as how to ensure the documents are properly signed and witnessed,
- instructions on how to prepare and complete each document.
- Available in MS Word format, fully editable and reusable.
- Intended to be used only in the District of Columbia.
Florida Advance Health Care Directive Forms
Make certain that your wishes regarding medical treatment are known by your doctor and your family with this Advance Healthcare Directive package of forms for Florida residents.
- This package of forms contains the following documents:
- a Living Will Declaration which sets out your instructions regarding life-sustaining procedures and other future health care decisions,
- information and instructions to help you prepare and complete your advance directive forms,
- a Designation of Health Care Surrogate appointing an agent to make health care decisions for you,
- a Designation of Health Care Surrogate for Minor, which can be used to appoint an agent to make health care decisions for a person that is underage,
- a Uniform Donor Form for organ and tissue donations.
- These easy-to-use forms are provided in MS Word format and can be used by more than one person by filling in the appropriate information.
- Intended to be used only in the State of Florida.
Georgia Advance Health Care Directive Forms
Appoint an agent and set out your wishes for medical treatment with this Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care Package.
The Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care Package enables individuals to (i) appoint an agent to make health care decisions for them, and (ii) clearly communicate their preferences for medical treatment.
This package serves as a comprehensive replacement for both the former Living Will declaration and the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.
Key Features of the Advance Directive
- Appointment of a Health Care Agent: You can designate someone to make decisions regarding medical treatment and procedures on your behalf.
- Specification of Treatment Preferences: The directive allows you to outline your wishes for end-of-life care, particularly if you are diagnosed with a terminal condition or become permanently unconscious.
- Nomination of a Guardian: You have the option to name a person to act as your guardian should a court determine that a guardian is needed.
Benefits of Making an Advance Directive
Completing an Advance Directive ensures that your family members and your doctor are aware of your preferences concerning medical treatment and life support, especially if you lose the ability to communicate or make decisions independently.
Package Details
- Includes comprehensive information and step-by-step instructions to guide you through the process.
- Provided in MS Word format for easy use and flexibility.
- The form is reusable, allowing more than one person to utilize it by entering their specific information.
- Prepared exclusively for use by residents of the State of Georgia.