Advance Directive

• According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, an advance directive can be short, simple statements completed in different ways and with or without a lawyer, but should follow the laws of the state where the person resides. For example, to complete a directive, a person can use a form provided by a doctor or hospital, write the information down or have a lawyer to do it. The directive should be notarized and given to the individual's doctor and family members. An advance directive can be updated or changed at any time.
  
  

Advanced Directive: Living Will

• One type of advanced directive is called a living will. The living will explains the type of medical care the individual wants. For example, in the living will, he can refuse medical care. Also, he can outline whether he wants breathing machines used, feeding tubes inserted or wants to participate in organ or tissue donation, according to Medline Plus. Therefore, a living will instructs health care professionals how far they can go with medical treatment.
  
  

Advance Directive: Do Not Resuscitate Order

• Another type of advance directive is called a Do Not Resucitate order, or DNR order. Typically, a hospital provider conducts cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when a person's heart stops beating or he stops breathing. A DNR order can prohibit doctors from trying to resuscitate a person any time CPR is needed, allowing him to die. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, the DNR order is placed in a person's medical file and is accepted in all states.
  
  

Advance Directive: Durable Power of Attorney

• A durable power of attorney, or DPA, is an advance directive that names a person's health care proxy, according to Medline Plus. The DPA allows a person to choose someone who will makes medical decisions for her. Typically, the person picks someone she trusts to make the decisions at any time she is unconscious or unable to communicate her medical wishes. Unlike a living will, the decisions are not outlined in a legal document, but are left to the power of attorney.