Free Advance Directive Forms

Write an Advance Directive form with our easy-to-follow legal template. Simplify the writing process and leave yourself protected with the correct legal documentation when you need it most.

Templates created by legal professionals

Customize your documents quickly & easily

24/7 free phone & email customer support

Trusted by 9,240 users.

What's the difference?

• Medical Power of Attorney: it gives an agent the authority to make medical decisions for you if you are incapacitated.
• Living Will: it allows an individual to state preferences for medical treatment, focusing on end-of-life decisions.
• Advance Directive: it includes the instructions collected in a Living Will and in a Medical Power of Attorney.

Last Update August 25th, 2024

Health Care Directive

Advance Care Directive

Fill forms in a few steps

Save, print, & download

Done in 5 minutes

• What Is an Advance Directive?
• What Should Be Included in an Advance Directive Form?
• How To Write an Advance Directive
• Advance Directive Laws by State and Requirements
• Example of an Advance Directive
• Related Documents
• Advance Directive FAQs

What Is an Advance Directive?

An Advance Medical Directive is a legal document a competent adult uses to set a medical treatment plan in certain circumstances [1].

Other names for an Advance Directive include:

• Advance Health Care Directive
• Advance Medical Directive
• Health Care Directive (Healthcare Advance Directive or Health Care Advance Directive)
• Advance Decision

An Advance Directive also outlines the medical care treatment preferences and assigns an agent to make healthcare decisions if you become unable to. You assign this agent (also known as health care proxy or health care surrogate) when you are creating your document.

What Is the Purpose of an Advance Directive?

The purpose of advance care planning is to give the person who signs it (the principal) the authority to express their health care wishes and choose medical and life-sustaining treatments they would like to receive.

Medical professionals and your agent work together to address your life care wishes.

This comes into effect only when the principal becomes unable to communicate, such as in an end-of-life situation. If you do not self-select an agent ahead of time, your spouse, adult child, another blood relative, or a court-appointed guardian may decide treatment options for you.

What Should Be Included in an Advance Directive Form?

An Advance Health Care Directive is a combination of legal documents. In the past, it was common for someone to have a Living Will, a Medical POA, or one of each [2].

These are the different parts that should be included within the Advance Directive:

• Living Will: This notifies your family and healthcare providers of your preference of various kinds of treatment or operations you would accept or refuse if you are unable to communicate or are deemed an incapacitated person.
• Medical Power of Attorney: It assigns the person of your choice to be responsible for making decisions about the medical type of care you received. This person is usually a family member or friend.

How To Write an Advance Directive

Follow this step-by-step guide on how to write your Advance Directive. This way, you know exactly what to include.

1. Name and Medical POA: Fill in your name to declare the Directive that you are of legal age and a competent adult, and assign your health care agent. Potential agents can include a spouse, adult child, a relative or close friend or a lawyer. Include any limitations your MPOA has on medical ane life decisions.
2. Alternate Agents: Select up to 3 substitute health care agents. Include their addresses and phone numbers, as well as their limitations.
3. Expiration date: Declare you understand the powers of the Power of Attorney continue indefinitely (Durable Power of Attorney) or until the day you decide. Choose an expiry day that the Power of Attorney will expire if you prefer this option
4. Original and copies of the MPOA: Fill in who has your document, as well as the contact information. Include the same information for any copies.
5. Living Will: Choose to declare the medical treatment and life-sustaining proceduresyou would or would not receive in an end-of-life situation. Include any other specific health care instructions if you wish.
6. Witness signatures: Include the declaration, contact information and signatures of your witnesses. This includes your signature as well.
7. Notarization: If you want to include a notary public as a witness in your Advance Directive, write a declaration for them to sign.
8. Distribute MPOA: Your health care agent(s) and health care professionals should have copies of your MPOA. Any healthcare facilities that may provide you with medical care should also have these healthcare instructions.

Take advantage of our Advance Directive template to make this process much simpler.

Advance Directive Decisions

When you make an Advance Directive, it is important to think about your choices and medical preferences, such as desires for emergency care, do-not-resuscitate orders (DNR), blood transfusions, comfort care, organ and tissue donation, and more.

What does Advance Directive mean for you?

If you are drafting an Advance Directive because you want to have control when you are unable to communicate, your healthcare and treatment decisions could come into effect during one of these medical situations [3]:

• Terminal illness: You have an end-stage condition or incurable illness.
• Vegetative state: You are not conscious and there is little hope for improvement.

Advance Directive Laws by State and Requirements

Depending on the state you live in, signing an Advance Directive could have fewer or more requirements.

Before you write yours, read your state's law and requirements below.

Example of an Advance Directive

Before you write a legal form or document, it is always a good idea to see a sample.

Reviewing what an example of an Advance Directive is will help you write your document. It will:

• Help you know what to include
• How to outline your document
• Ensure you don’t make any mistakes

Look at our example template below:

Related Documents

Some medical documents become part of the process of writing your Advance Directive. Others are similar and can help you or a loved one in an identical situation.

Have a look at the documents below:

• POA: A document that assigns the responsibility of managing your possessions when you are unable to do so.
• Child Medical Consent: Also known as Permission to Treat, authorizes non-parents to make medical decisions for someone else’s child.
• DNR: An order for medical staff not to intervene with life-saving treatment.
• Last Will: A document that states what happens to your property after you pass away.

You can find templates for all of these legal forms on our website.

Sources:

[4] Consumer Pamphlet: Florida Power of Attorney. The Florida Bar.

Advance Directive FAQs

To give you more information about Advance Directives and how to write them, we have included responses to some common questions.

Use these answers to make sure you have absolutely everything you need to create your documentation.

What Is the Difference Between Advance Directive and Living Will?

A Living Will is a type of advance directive. Other advance directives include power of attorney for health care (health care surrogate designation), medical orders or health care instructions, and a mental health treatment preference declaration.

Who Can Witness an Advance Directive?

Depending on the state you live in, at least 1 witness is almost always mandatory. However, this is not always the case.

It is recommended to have at least 2 witnesses, even if you aren’t required to have any witnesses. Your healthcare surrogate cannot be a witness, and one of your witnesses must not be a spouse or blood relative.

Can I Make Changes to My Health Care Directive?

You can make a change to your Advance Directive. All you need to do is destroy the one you currently have.

After you have gotten rid of your old one, you might need information on how to get an Advance Directive again.

Use LawDistrict’s template to make your new document in a few simple steps.

It is important to inform your primary care doctor of any changes and ensure that a new directive is updated in your medical records. Additionally, remember to include new directives in hospital or nursing home charts. It's also advisable to discuss any changes with your healthcare team, legal representative, family, and friends.

When Should I Update an Advance Directive?

Your Advance Directive documents **should be **adjusted if you experience a change in your healthcare preferences or after certain changes happen in your life, such as:

• Being diagnosed with a new illness or medical condition
• Moving to a new state
• Divorcing your spouse

Always make sure your legal documents are current, and **check our website **for news and updates.

You are only a few steps away from your own Advance Directive!

Preview of your Advance Directive

Principal's Information

Principal's Full Name: _________
Date of Birth: _________
Address: _________
Telephone number: _________
Email address: _________

The Principal is completing this form in Alabama.

Agent Information

My agent's name: _________
Address: _________
Telephone Number: _________
Email address: _________

Agent's Powers

I have communicated my goals and wishes to my agent, who shall follow the instructions given in this document and the conversations we have had in preparing it. I grant my agent authority to make decisions about my health care according to these goals and wishes. If my instructions are unclear at any time, then my agent will decide based on what my agent believes to be in my best interests. My agent's authority to interpret my wishes and goals includes the following authority:

Provision of Life-Sustaining Procedures

My health care agent may not have life-sustaining treatment withheld or withdrawn from me, unless the principal is in a terminal condition or in a permanently unconscious state and a qualified physician determines that the principal is in a permanently unconscious state. Moreover, my health care agent may not have orally ingested nutrition or hydration withheld or withdrawn from me, unless provision of the nutrition or hydration is medically contraindicated, or unless otherwise provided in this document.

Effectiveness

This Medical Power of Attorney will become effective immediately.

Duration

This document shall end upon my death.

I sign my name to this medical power of attorney on this ____________ at ____________, Alabama.