States generally allow a person (principal) to appoint another person (agent) to make health care decisions, receive protected health information, or both on the principal’s behalf. In many states, ...

An advance directive for the state where you live may not be effective in another state. Some states have provisions that respect out-of-state directives as long as they conform to the requirements of ...

Advance health care directives are legal documents that outline a person’s preferences for medical treatment in case they are unable to communicate those decisions themselves. These directives not ...

Knowing a loved one’s wishes before a medical emergency can turn impossible decisions into acts of care.

An advance healthcare directive is a type of legal document that allows you to state your wishes regarding future medical care. You can appoint someone – often a trusted friend or family member – to ...

Dear Liz: There is a lot of dysfunction and drama in my family so in my will, I’ve named a friend to be my executor. But I don’t think she’s the best person for my advance healthcare directive. She’s ...

An advance directive is a way to tell your loved ones and doctors your wishes if something happens and you can’t speak for yourself. A directive can include the type and extent of your medical care.

The end of life sometimes begins with an advance directive. Learning about advance directives now may make things easier for your loved ones later, when they’re in a hospital room trying to decide ...

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: SCOTT D. HALPERN, GEORGE LOEWENSTEIN, KEVIN G. VOLPP, ELIZABETH COONEY, KELLY VRANAS, CAROLINE M. QUILL, MARY S. MCKENZIE, MICHAEL O. HARHAY ...

About 40% of older Americans have an advance directive. This typically includes a living will that spells out the care you ...

Older adults with advance directives that were documented in electronic health records (EHRs) showed a lower likelihood of receiving burdensome end-of-life care and had lower rates of in-hospital ...