Washington Advance Directives & Living Wills

Advance directives let you make your healthcare wishes known before a crisis happens. In Washington, the two key documents are a directive to physicians §70.122.010; §70.122.030 and a healthcare agent.

A directive to physicians addresses:

• Life-sustaining treatment (ventilators, dialysis)
• Artificial nutrition and hydration (feeding tubes)
• Resuscitation preferences (DNR orders)
• Pain management and comfort care
• Organ and tissue donation

Your healthcare agent should be someone who:

• Understands your values and treatment preferences
• Can make difficult decisions under pressure
• Is willing and able to advocate for your wishes, even against family pressure
• Lives nearby or can be reached quickly in an emergency

Name a successor agent in case your first choice is unavailable.

Washington recognizes directives to physicians (living wills) under RCW § 70.122 and, as a separate document, healthcare agent designations through a durable power of attorney for health care authorized under the Uniform Power of Attorney Act (RCW ch. 11.125). A directive must be signed by the declarer and either acknowledged before a notary public (or other individual authorized to take acknowledgments) or signed in the presence of two witnesses who are not related to the declarer by blood or marriage and who would not be entitled to any portion of the declarer's estate. A witness also may not be the attending physician, an employee of the attending physician or of a health facility in which the declarer is a patient, or any person who has a claim against any portion of the declarer's estate at the time the directive is executed (RCW § 70.122.030).