The following is a list of important death related legal definitions and facts to know.

Advance Directives: legal documents stating an individual’s wishes regarding end-of-life decisions such as a living will and durable power of attorney.

Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA): a document that ascribes to a surrogate decision maker the legal authority to consent (or refuse consent) to medical treatment should the patient lack competency to make such decisions. This power ends at death.

Executor/Personal Representative (PR): a person or institution named in a will to administer an estate – to pay creditors and taxes and to distribute the estate to beneficiaries.

Holographic Will: a will written wholly in one’s own handwriting that has been witnessed and notarized. Five Wishes: a living will in the form of an eight page questionnaire that guides people in making essential decisions about their care at the end of life.

Living Will: is a written statement of a person's health care and medical wishes but does not appoint another person to make health care decisions.

Power of Attorney (POA): is a written document that gives authorization to act on someone else's behalf in a legal or business matter. This power ends at death.

Will: a legal document in which a person states how he or she wants property and possessions distributed after death.

*Note: For legal advice we can only make suggestions. We recommend to always discuss these topics with your attorney.