Two main types of advance directives are living wills and healthcare power of attorney. These are legal documents that outline a person’s preferences regarding major medical decisions. An advance ...

Christy Bieber has a JD from UCLA School of Law and began her career as a college instructor and textbook author. She has been writing full time for over a decade with a focus on making financial and ...

An advance directive is a legally binding document regulated by state laws. Advance directives are subject to The Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA), 1990, a federal law that encourages individuals ...

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, ...

Living wills and other advance directives are written, legal instructions regarding your preferences for medical care if you are unable to make decisions for yourself. Advance directives guide choices ...

Some types of health conditions, like Alzheimer's disease, mean that at some point you might not be able to make your own decisions about the health care you get. In these cases, it helps to have ...

The practice of medicine involves a lot of paperwork, and not just for doctors. Even if they’re already stacking piles of co-pay bills, benefits estimate statements and reminder cards for long-past ...

HOME VERSUS HOSPITAL: Attorney Eva Clement, who helps people prepare advance-care directives, notes that the legal world hasn't caught up with the cultural shift from at-home to institutionalized ...

More and more Americans say they want a “good” death, which usually means dying peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones. Documents called advance directives can help them achieve that goal by ...

Tuesday is National Healthcare Decisions Day, a day to educate and empower you about advanced care planning. But what are advance directives and are they really necessary? Advanced Directives are a ...

Welcome to State of Mind, a new section from Slate and Arizona State University dedicated to exploring mental health. Follow us on Twitter. When people hear the term “advance directive,” they usually ...

Out of fear that euthanasia and assisted suicide may be legalized, some Catholic commentators have raised questions about the ethics of advance directives for medical decisions. They have almost made ...