What Is the Difference Between Living Will and Advance Care Directives?

Legal jargon can be confusing, especially when you are dealing with potential life-and-death health care decisions. Many documents can help you plan for a time when you may be disabled or die, but choosing the one that is right for you can be complicated because their meanings overlap. In general, Advance Care Directives refer to a variety of documents that you can use to make your wishes before you become very ill or injured.

Tip

An Advance Care Directives is a set of instructions that make advance preparations for ill health that determine his or her health desires. A living will is a type of advance directive that becomes effective when a person is ill.

Various Treatment Options

State laws regarding Advance Care Directives vary, but generally the information contained in a living will is very similar. A survivor will tell your health care provider what type of treatment you want or do not want you to become disabled.

The DNR order - another type of advance directive - is similar. DNR means "non-revitalization" and instructs your physician not to take life-saving measures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

However, another type of Advance Care Directives - a medical power of attorney - puts these decisions in someone else's hands. In a medical POA, you name an agent who will determine treatment options and resuscitation for you, in the event that you cannot make this decision.

Limitations for Certain Conditions

A living will can only address the absolute conditions mentioned in the document. For example, it may state that you do not want CPR, but what if you really need a feeding tube? If your occupants do not specifically mention the feeding tube, your physician is in the dark about how to deal with the issue.

An advance directive such as Powers Of Attorney is not subject to this limitation. The person you have delegated as a health care agent will decide if you should have a feeding tube.

Enforceability of Advance Care Directives

Your living will is iron and you are the only one who can change the conditions. Technically, your family members cannot override it if the time comes when you are unable to speak for yourself. However, it does not always work this way. If a family member is strong, desperate and passionate, then it is possible that your health care provider can follow his or her wishes instead of fulfilling your wishes.

Your doctor may be justified in doing so if your living will is too vague and does not clearly address the problem you are suffering from. Other types of advance care directives are much more binding on physicians. For example, your DNR order addresses a specific treatment so it probably won't be unclear. Under the terms of a medical POA, your agent has the right to instruct your doctor about all methods of treatment, so there is nothing left for your doctor to explain.

Advance Care Directives Option

Because a living will is only one type of Advance Care Directives, you are not limited to using only this document. You can write a living will, create a medical POA and also prepare a DNR order. However, you may want to first confer with a lawyer in your particular state.

Depending on where you live, the health care agent you designate in your medical POA may or may not be bound by your living conditions. He may be able to override them. In this case, and especially if there is no one you feel you can trust with your life to fill this role, you might be better off living a very clear life instead.