They often use language such as “incurable or irreversible condition with no reasonable expectation of recovery.” It’s very rare that a person faces this specific situation. It can take effect if you become incapacitated by illness, injury, or old age. A medical power of attorney is different from a living will, because your living will wouldn’t appoint a medical representative for you—that’s what your medical POA is for. Origin. Living will definition is - a document in which the signer requests to be allowed to die rather than be kept alive by artificial means if disabled beyond a reasonable expectation of recovery. A Living Will is a document, or can form a part of a document that allows you to leave instructions about your future medical treatment, should you become incapable of doing so at a later date. Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last updated October 07, 2019. An advance healthcare directive, also known as living will, personal directive, advance directive, medical directive or advance decision, is a legal document in which a person specifies what actions should be taken for their health if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves because of illness or incapacity. living will. n. also called "a durable power of attorney," it is a document authorized by statutes in all states, in which a person appoints someone as his/her proxy or representative to make decisions on maintaining extraordinary life-support if the person becomes too ill, is in a coma or is certain to die. The living will is one type of advance directive that may be used by a person before incapacitation to outline a full range of treatment preferences or, most often, to reject treatment. 1970-1975. Noun. A legal document instructing physicians, relatives, and others as to the individual’s preferences regarding end-of-life care. Definition of Living Will. What is a Living Will. Medical experts have linked these to lower stress levels and improved mental and physical well-being. A living will extends the principle of consent, whereby patients must agree to any medical … A medical power of attorney is also known as a “health care proxy”— and this person acts as an agent to make medical decisions for you if you can’t talk to the doctors yourself. There are two fundamental documents that need to be executed during your life to ensure that you receive the kind of healthcare you want if you are ever incapacitated. The Definition of Power of Attorney, Living Will and Advance Directives. Living wills are usually too narrow to apply to many common medical situations.