What is an advance directive?

An advanced directive is a legal document that one executes for future contingencies, that are reasonably foreseeable. For example: a designation of healthcare surrogate is an advance directive where a person appoints someone else to make the healthcare decisions for them. A declaration of pre-need guardian is an advance directive or someone elects a guardian in the event that person is deemed to be incompetent in the future. A durable power of attorney is an advanced directive or someone grants authority to their attorney in fact to conduct financial matters on their behalf. Advanced directives it's a generic term and needs to be tailored to the situation of the person who wants them.