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What is an advance directive?

An advance directive deals with a medical decision when you can no longer make them. If you’re incapacitated, then the person you appoint in an advanced directive will make that medical decision for you. It’s commonly known as a living well, as well. In a living will, you’re telling the world, “I want to remain on life support,” or “I don’t want to remain on life support under particular conditions like you’re in a vegetative state, you’re in a coma, you have a terminal condition out of which you are never going to come back to your life as you were before this condition. You’re telling everybody, “Please, do everything you can,” or, “No, don’t. Let me die with dignity and please follow these instructions for me as I’ve directed you to do so.”