Advance Directive Types

Living Will

This is the most well known type of advance directive. It relates only to end-of-life issues. A Living Will goes into effect when you become unable to make decisions. A physician must diagnose you:

• With a terminal illness,
• In an end-stage condition, or
• In a permanent vegetative state.

Health Care Surrogate

Surrogates are people you choose to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to do so. Unlike a Living Will, a Health Care Surrogate may be used to make decisions about any illness.

Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care

This type of advance directive is essentially the same as a Health Care Surrogate. It does require notarization from a notary public.

Other Advance Directives

The following advance directives can be added as part of the ones already discussed. They can also be created to stand alone.

Do-Not-Resuscitate Order (DNR)

The order instructs health care providers not to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if your breathing stops or if your heart stops beating.

Do-Not-Intubate Order (DNI)

The order instructs health care providers to not insert a breathing tube to restore normal breathing.

Organ Donation

You may wish to consider donating, at death, all or part of your body for transplantation, research or education. An anatomical donation form is a document that expresses your wishes.

Information about organ and tissue donation is available at the Donate Life Florida website.

If you are interested in donating your body, please call the Anatomical Board to make arrangements. Call (800) 628-2594 or (352) 392-3588 or visit the Anatomical Board website for more information.

To learn more, please be sure to talk further with your health care provider. For more information about Advance Directives or to obtain forms, please speak with your nurse.

Advance Directive Forms

• Your Starter Kit: Planning Your Advance Directives
• Advance Directives Packet
• Paquete de Directivas Anticipadas (Español)
• Organ Donation Form (PDF)
  You may wish to consider donating, at death, all or part of your body for transplantation, research or education. An organ donation form is a document that expresses your choices.
• Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Order (PDF)
  Important! In order to be legally valid this form MUST be printed on yellow paper: EMS and medical personnel are only required to honor the form if it is printed on yellow paper.
• Health Care Surrogate Form (PDF)
• How to add your Advance Directive to your medical record (PDF)
• Living Will (PDF)

Learn more about advance directives (video transcript).