Q: What is a health care directive?

A: A health care directive is a legal document that spells out your medical preferences in the event that you are unexpectedly unable to make or express these decisions in the moment. With a health care directive, you can make a number of decisions in advance — for instance, whether or for how long you would prefer to remain on life support in situations in which your health is not expected to improve. These decisions are not easy, but you can save your family much stress by making them today so that they don’t have to guess or take on that burden in a moment of crisis.