Durable power of attorney for health care is for deciding who you want to make medical decisions for you.

Living wills, also called patient’s or physician’s directives, clarify exactly what those decisions should be when you’re:

• Terminally ill
• Permanently unconscious
• Conscious but will never again be able to make decisions about your care

Although Michigan hasn’t passed a law that makes living wills legal, state court decisions have considered them binding. At the least, they make your wishes known about important decisions.

Living wills can be as general or as specific as you want.