DIRECTIVE TO PHYSICIANS (Living Will)

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 A Texas Directive to Physicians, often called a Living Will, is an advance healthcare directive that allows you to express your wishes regarding life-sustaining treatment if you are diagnosed with a terminal or irreversible condition and cannot communicate your decisions.

Unlike a Medical Power of Attorney, which appoints someone to make healthcare decisions for you, a Directive to Physicians tells your doctors what medical treatment you want—or do not want—in certain end-of-life situations.

Your Directive may address issues such as:

• Continuing life-sustaining treatment 
• Artificial nutrition and hydration 
• Mechanical ventilation 
• Dialysis 
• Other life-prolonging medical treatment 
• Comfort care and pain management 

No one can predict when a serious illness or accident may occur.

Without a written Directive, your loved ones may be left trying to guess what you would have wanted during an already emotional time.

Preparing a Directive to Physicians allows you to make those decisions yourself—before a crisis occurs—and provides valuable guidance to both your family and your healthcare providers.

A Directive to Physicians does not apply to every illness or hospitalization.

Instead, it generally becomes relevant only if your physician determines that you have either:

An incurable illness that, even with life-sustaining treatment, is expected to result in death within approximately six months.

A condition from which you cannot recover, leaving you unable to care for yourself or make your own medical decisions, and that will ultimately be fatal without life-sustaining treatment.

These definitions are established under Texas law and are included within the statutory Directive itself.

 Your Directive allows you to express whether you want life-sustaining treatment continued or withheld if you are diagnosed with:

• A terminal condition 
• An irreversible condition 

You may also include additional instructions regarding treatments such as:

• Artificial nutrition 
• Artificial hydration 
• Intravenous antibiotics 
• Other specific medical treatments important to you 

Every person's values and beliefs are different, which is why these decisions should be discussed carefully before completing your Directive.

Absolutely not.

Even if you choose to discontinue life-sustaining treatment, your physicians will continue providing comfort care, pain management, and other treatment intended to keep you comfortable.

Many clients are relieved to learn that choosing a Directive does not mean giving up compassionate medical care. 

These two documents are designed to work together.

A Medical Power of Attorney appoints someone you trust to make healthcare decisions if you cannot.

A Directive to Physicians tells both your healthcare agent and your physicians what your wishes are regarding life-sustaining treatment.

Together, these documents help ensure that your healthcare decisions reflect your personal values.

Many people confuse these documents.

A Medical Power of Attorney names the person who makes healthcare decisions when you cannot.

A Directive to Physicians (Living Will) tells doctors what medical treatment you want—or do not want—if you have a terminal or irreversible condition.

These documents work together and are both important parts of a comprehensive Texas estate plan.

Yes. In Texas, "Directive to Physicians" is the legal name for the document, but many people refer to it as a Living Will.

No.

A Medical Power of Attorney appoints someone to make healthcare decisions on your behalf.

A Directive to Physicians communicates your own treatment preferences in specific end-of-life situations.

Yes.

As long as you have legal capacity, you may revoke or replace your Directive at any time.

Yes.

A Directive to Physicians is one of the core healthcare documents included in our Comprehensive Estate Planning Package.