Understanding of, need for “advance medical directives” driven by coronavirus infection concerns. “If you get COVID-19 and struggle to breathe, would you want to be put on a ventilator?” asked Liz Weston, certified financial planner, in July 2, 2020, Washtenaw Legal News (page 12).

Advance directives — an umbrella term that includes living wills and health care proxies or powers of attorney — are legal documents that all of us need but many of us don’t have. A living will allows you to tell your loved ones and medical providers what kinds of medical care you want at the end of your life. Health care proxies or powers of attorney allow you to designate someone to make medical decisions for you if you can’t communicate.