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Advance Directives, Guardianships, Powers of Attorney and Living Wills

Legal Information

This section of PALawHelp.org has information and resources about Advance Directives, Guardianships,
Powers of Attorney and Living Wills in Pennsylvania.

• Power of Attorney

  Information from Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. about what a power of attorney is and when you should use one Read More

  By:

  Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc.

• Protections through Power of Attorney & Living Will (Video)

  This is a videotaped Older & Wiser presentation by Attorney Joseph Olimpi of Neighborhood Legal Services Association, with sponsorship from State Representative Matt Smith. The presentation covers Protections through Power of Attorney & Living Will and was videotaped by Bethel Park Public Access Television. Read More

  By:

  Neighborhood Legal Services Association

• Power of Attorney in Pennsylvania

  Information from Northwestern Legal Services on what is a Power of Attorney (POA), guidelines when selecting an agent, what happens if I become mentally unable to make my own decisions, when does it go into effect, when does it end, and the process involved in setting up a POA. Read More

  By:

  Northwestern Legal Services

  Read this in:

  Spanish / Español

• Pennsylvania Health Care Power of Attorney and Living Will - Why are these Important? (Video)

  This video from the Allegheny County Bar Association explaining what a Health Care Power of Attorney and Living Will does for you and why it is important for you to have one. Read More

  By:

  Allegheny County Bar Association

• Financial Power of Attorney

  This publication from the Disability Rights Pennsylvania provides general information about powers of attorney. [PDF] Content Detail

  By:

  Disability Rights Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)

• Giving Someone a Power of Attorney For Your Health Care

  A Guide with an Easy-to-Use, Legal Form for All Adults from the ABA Commission on Law and Aging. The form in this guide is a simple version of a Health Care Advance Directive. It allows you to choose someone to make health care decisions for you if you can’t. If you name a health care agent when you are healthy, you will make sure that someone you trust can make health care decisions for you if you become too ill or injured to make them yourself. Content Detail

  By:

  American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging

• Living Wills/ Health Care Powers of Attorney

  Consumer information pamphlet from the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Content Detail

  By:

  Pennsylvania Bar Association

• Power of Attorney

  Information on Power of Attorney from the Erie County Bar Association Content Detail

  By:

  Erie County Bar Association

• Advance Health Care Declarations (Living Wills)

  Information on advance health care directives and living wills from the Erie County Bar Association Content Detail

  By:

  Erie County Bar Association

• Health Care Power of Attorney and Living Will

  The Allegheny County Bar Association offers this free Health Care Power of Attorney and Living Will packet that is endorsed by both the Allegheny County Medical Society and Allegheny County Bar Association. Read More

  By:

  Allegheny County Bar Association

• Legal Briefs: Powers of Attorney (Video)

  Information presented by the Allegheny County Bar Association on the May 22, 2007 edition of "Legal Briefs" on KDKA-TV's Pittsburgh Today Live program. (5:13) Read More

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  Allegheny County Bar Association

• Health and Financial Decisions: Legal Tools for Preserving Your Personal Autonomy

  Important information from the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging on preserving your right to make decisions about your life. [PDF] Content Detail

  By:

  American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging

  Read this in:

  Spanish / Español

• Making Medical Decisions for Someone Else

  This booklet from the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging describes in simple terms what it's like to be a health care proxy, what to do while there is still time to think about it, how to make the hard decisions, and where to get help. [PDF] Content Detail

  By:

  American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging

• Mental Health Care Advance Directive

  A Mental Health Advance Directive is a document that allows you to make your choices known regarding mental health treatment in the event that your mental illness makes you unable to make decisions. This packet provides information and forms to allow you to prepare documents to fit you needs regarding an advance directive. [PDF] Content Detail

  By:

  Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

• Consumer’s Tool Kit for Health Care Advance Planning

  This tool kit from the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging contains a variety of self-help worksheets, suggestions, and resources. There are 10 tools in all, each clearly labeled and user-friendly. The tool kit does not create a formal advance directive for you. Instead, it helps you do the much harder job of discovering, clarifying, and communicating what is important to you in the face of serious illness. Content Detail

  By:

  American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging