What is an advance directive?

Advance directives is a living will that allows you to document your wishes concerning medical treatments at the end of life. 

Things to remember:

• You do not need an attorney to complete an Advance Directive. Many attorneys will include it as part of routine family financial planning.
  
  
• An Advance Directive has nothing to do with a financial Power of Attorney (POA)-- they are two completely different documents and an Advance Directive holds no weight in financial matters.
  
  
• In the State of Utah, the Advance Directive includes two things:
  - the Living Will which allows you to make some o f your medical wishes known
- the Medical Power of Attorney which appoints an agent to speak for your when you can't speak for yourself


• If a person has lost decision-making capacity (dementia or other physical injuries), it is too late for them to complete an Advance Directive.
  
  
• The Advance Directive (Healthcare POA) gives you no authority to make decisions for the other person unless they have lost the capacity to make their own decisions--this is determined by a medical doctor.