What is the difference in a Health Care POA and a Living Will?

I like to think of the Living Will (also known as a Declaration of a Desire for a Natural Death) as the “umbrella” that sits above the Health Care Power of Attorney.  If the terms of the Health Care POA differ from those of the Living Will, the Living Will will control.  The Living Will asks one question: How long do you want to be kept alive if the doctors classify your condition as terminal?  On the other hand, the Health Care POA lets you make choices about organ donation, tube feeding, etc.  It is best to have both documents and file them with your hospital or doctors.  Now, when you file them with your doctor, he or she will upload them to the hospital “cloud” so they can be accessed by any doctor you see or hospital you visit.