Personal Lessons  /  Advance Directive

Living Will & Health Care Directive

Answer the questions below. You'll get a formatted draft document with your answers built in, ready to download as a PDF — to send to an attorney for review, or to sign yourself in front of witnesses and give to the person you trust to make decisions for you.

This is not legal advice, and this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. Requirements for a valid living will / advance directive are set by state law and vary by state — most states require your signature in front of two qualified adult witnesses; a few states (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, West Virginia) also require notarization. No attorney signature is required anywhere for a self-prepared document to be valid — but it only becomes binding if it is signed correctly for your state. When in doubt, have an attorney licensed in your state review it before you sign.

1. Your Information

This identifies you as the person making this directive (the "Declarant" / "Principal").

2. Your Health Care Agent (Decision-Maker)

The person you trust to make health care decisions for you if you can't make them yourself. Choose someone willing to honor your wishes, not necessarily your closest relative.

Optional — an alternate agent, if your first choice is unavailable.

3. Life-Sustaining Treatment

If you were ever diagnosed with a terminal condition, or were permanently unconscious with no reasonable hope of recovery, and could not speak for yourself:

4. Artificial Nutrition & Hydration

Feeding tubes and IV fluids are treated separately from other life-sustaining treatment under most state laws.

5. Comfort Care & Organ Donation

Organ & tissue donation, upon my death:

6. Other Wishes (optional)

Your Draft Document

This draft was generated from your answers on this device — nothing was saved or sent anywhere. Use the button above to save it as a PDF (choose "Save as PDF" in the print dialog), then either send it to an attorney for review, or sign it yourself in front of the witnesses (and notary, if your state requires one) described at the end of the document.