The actions of a guardian are subject to review by the court and in some circumstances, where wrongdoing or negligence can be shown, a guardian may be removed by the court. Conservatorship is different from guardianship in that a conservator is responsible only for an individual's financial affairs. Again, state laws govern establishing a conservatorship. Advance medical directives are legal documents that put in writing an individual's instructions about his or her future medical care. They are designed to help guide medical professionals, family members.
Laws regulating medical directives vary by state.
Because the durable medical power of attorney eliminates the need for the person to know in advance all the decisions that may arise, it is important that they discuss their feelings and intentions regarding medical decisions with the persons they designate An attorney should be consulted for help in drawing up a medical power of attorney. If the state in which the person resides has a healthcare proxy law, the appropriate forms can be obtained from hospitals or other medical facilities. This legal document differs from the above in that instead of naming another person to make decisions, it specifically authorizes doctors to discontinue medical care under certain circumstances. For example, it may direct a doctor to cease life-prolonging medical treatment when the patient is unable to participate in the decision and is terminally ill, permanently unconscious, or severely brain damaged. If the person has a durable medical power of attorney or a healthcare proxy, but also has a living will, the living will provides written instructions for the individual they have designated to make decisions.