Today is National Advance Planning Day in Canada. This day is
intended to prompt the difficult conversation that most people tend
to avoid for the other 364 days a year. There is a lot of confusing
language out there regarding advance planning. This article seeks
to clarify the terminology and provide some practical
considerations.
Personal Directives
Personal Directives are sometimes referred to as "living
wills", "advance directives", or "directives to
physicians". In Alberta, the official term is "Personal
Directive". It is a document that allows a person to designate
an alternate decision-maker (called "Agent") in relation
to personal and health decisions. It may also set out specific
wishes and guidelines that the person would like their Agent to
follow when making decisions for him or her. For a detailed summary
of Personal Directives, see here.
