Medical Wishes
Healthcare Directives — Your Voice In The Room
A healthcare directive puts your treatment preferences and the people you trust to speak for you in writing, separate from your financial affairs. It is how you stay part of the conversation about your own care, even when you cannot speak for yourself.
Who It May Fit
Who A Healthcare Directive May Fit
- Any adult who wants to choose who speaks for them on medical decisions
- People with specific wishes about treatment, life support, or end-of-life care
- Families planning for an aging parent's care alongside their own
- Anyone who wants their medical wishes documented before a crisis
Preparation Checklist
What To Consider Before Documenting Your Wishes
- Who you trust to make medical decisions for you, and a backup
- Your wishes about life support, feeding tubes, or prolonged treatment
- Whether you would want comfort or palliative care prioritized
- Any specific treatments you would accept or refuse
- How your agent and close family feel about being part of these decisions
- Whether your state's form allows additional personal instructions
Scope & Considerations
Medical Wishes, Separate From Financial Authority
A healthcare directive usually combines two things: a living will, which describes the kinds of treatment you would or would not want under certain circumstances, and a healthcare power of attorney, which names the person you trust to make medical decisions for you when you cannot.
It is separate from a financial power of attorney — the person handling your money is not necessarily the right person to make your medical decisions, and vice versa. We talk through your values, your preferences, and the people you trust, and put them in a form the hospitals and providers in your state will recognize.
Practical Steps
Putting Your Medical Wishes In Writing
Talk Through Your Values And Wishes
Choose Your Healthcare Agent
Document And Sign
Make It Reachable When Needed
Practical Guidance
Making Your Wishes Easy To Find
A healthcare directive only speaks for you if the right people can find it and it still reflects your wishes. Conversations with your chosen agent, current accessible copies, and communication with your providers are what make it usable.
We help you talk through your preferences with the person you name, keep current copies where they can be reached, and set a reminder to revisit them under your state's requirements — separate from any financial authority.
Talk With Your Agent
Keep It Reachable
Review Under State Rules
Questions & Answers
Common Questions About Healthcare Directives
Keep Going
Related Ways We Help
A complete plan rarely stops at one document. These usually go together.
Foundational Documents
Wills
A clear, written expression of your wishes — who inherits, who decides, and how the people you love are looked after.
Learn MoreTrusts & Administration
Revocable Living Trusts
A flexible planning vehicle you can revise as life changes, designed to keep your affairs organized and private.
Learn MoreFinancial Authority
Powers of Attorney
Name trusted decision-makers for your financial life so bills, accounts, and responsibilities keep moving if you cannot act.
Learn MoreA Thoughtful Next Step
Ready To Talk Through Healthcare Directives?
Start with a conversation about your priorities and the questions you want to clarify. We will help you see how this fits the rest of your plan — and what can wait.
Educational, not individualized advice