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

Although the Living Will and Health Care Power of Attorney are similar in many ways, they are also distinctly different. 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 you have a terminal condition? 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 and doctors.