Advance Directives: Putting Your Healthcare Wishes in Writing

The Two Core Components

Advance directives generally include two pieces that work together:

• A living will (healthcare directive): documents your wishes about specific treatments — life support, resuscitation, feeding tubes, comfort care — in situations where recovery isn't expected. It guides both your family and your doctors
• A healthcare power of attorney (healthcare proxy/agent): names the person who makes medical decisions for you when you can't. This person should know your values and be willing to advocate for them, even under pressure
• Some situations also involve POLST-type medical orders (completed with a doctor, for those with serious illness) and organ donation preferences

Why This Matters So Much for Families

Without advance directives, families facing a medical crisis must guess at their loved one's wishes — and family members often guess differently, producing conflict layered on top of grief. Doctors default to aggressive treatment absent instructions, which may or may not be what you'd want. A clear directive and a named decision-maker transform an impossible situation into a hard but navigable one: your family knows what you wanted and who speaks for you.

This is a gift to your family as much as protection for you. The conversations it requires — about what matters to you at the end of life — are exactly the conversations covered in our caregiver guide, and they're far easier to have around a kitchen table than in a hospital hallway.

Getting Yours Done

The practical steps: complete your state's advance directive forms (Wyoming and Utah each have their own; an attorney can help, and forms are also available through state resources), choose a healthcare agent who knows your values and can handle the role, talk with them and your family about your wishes so the documents aren't a surprise, give copies to your agent, family, and doctors, and revisit the documents every few years or after health changes.

As with all legal documents, preparation belongs with a qualified professional. Our role is the surrounding picture — helping families coordinate coverage, benefits, and planning conversations, including pointing you to the right resources for directives, at no cost. If this is on your someday list, make it a this-month task — it's one of the kindest things you can do for the people who love you.