{"id":287009,"date":"2025-04-02T13:11:19","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T18:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/estate\/living-will\/why-health-care-directives-and-living-wills-can-be-called-many-t.html"},"modified":"2025-04-02T13:13:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T18:13:55","slug":"why-health-care-directives-and-living-wills-can-be-called-many-t","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/estate\/living-will\/why-health-care-directives-and-living-wills-can-be-called-many-t.html","title":{"rendered":"Why Health Care Directives and Living Wills Can Be Called Many Things"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Why Health Care Directives & Living Wills Can Be Called Many Things<\/h1>\n
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\n By FindLaw Staff<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Catherine Hodder, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

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Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n

Health care documents are legal papers that allow you to outline your medical care preferences and designate someone to make decisions for you if you become unable to do so yourself. Each state uses its own terminology, which can make things confusing.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Whether you want to make plans for end-of-life health care decisions or you want to name someone to make health care decisions for you, you might be puzzled to see that there are a variety of legal documents with many different names related to this. The bottom line is these documents allow you to make decisions about your medical care if and when you are unable to make those decisions yourself.<\/p>\r\n

Understanding Health Care Documents<\/h2>\r\n

In each state, you can make decisions in advance about what kinds of medical care you consent to or do not consent to. For example, you might not want to be placed on a ventilator if you were brain-dead. A health care directive<\/a> is a legal document you can create that expresses your wishes about this in a legally binding way.<\/p>\r\n

All states also allow you to choose someone who can make health decisions for you if you are not able to. For example, if you are in a coma, you want someone to be able to make decisions for you about what care you will receive.<\/p>\r\n

Health care documents allow you to place these decisions in writing so that your family and medical team know what you want.<\/p>\r\n

Types of Health Care Documents<\/h2>\r\n

There are two main types of health care documents: health care directives and health care proxies. Each has many names.<\/p>\r\n

Health Care Directives<\/h3>\r\n

These indicate your choices for the care you wish to receive or not receive. Documents that fall under this category include:<\/p>\r\n