Medical Directives/Powers of Attorney

Medical Directives

Medical Directives or Advance Directives do two things: they serve as a declaration about your medical intentions under certain circumstances (a Living Will Declaration) and they appoint another person to make medical decisions on your behalf (a Health Care Power of Attorney). In the absence of these documents, medical professionals will do what they are under oath to do: preserve life.

The link to the Maryland Advance Directive is: www.
You may also want to review “The Five Wishes,” a user-friendly Advance directive, which can be found at www.

Powers of Attorney

A power of attorney is a directive or request to someone to act on your behalf. It can be a General Power, allowing some to manage all of your affairs, or a Limited Power, limited in scope and/or duration.

You can also have a Springing Power, which takes effect, or “springs” into action when certain conditions occur, such as a disability. Powers of Attorney should be carefully reviewed to meet your needs – they do not replace a Will or a Revocable Trust.