Sometimes called advance care directives, these document ensure that your wishes will be carried out in the future.
An advance care directive is "used to document your care wishes so your substitute decision-maker can refer to it when making care decisions for you in the future, if and when you can't make those decisions for yourself." When properly signed and witnessed, an advance care directive will provide guidance for medical and health care decisions in the event the individual becomes incompetent and can no longer make such decisions.