A number of sites offer information and forms to prepare your own advance directives. Here is a sampling that you should find useful:

The American Hospital Association's Put It In Writing site provides links to a brochure, a glossary, questions & answers and a handy card to carry in your wallet. There is also a link to a California Advance Health Care Directive that manages to be both simple and detailed; in English and Spanish.

Created by Aging with Dignity, Five Wishes is available for $5 each, or $25 for 25 copies. The form can be reviewed online and is available in both Spanish and English.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization website, Caring Connections, allows you to download, for free, directives tailored to your state's guidelines.

For Pennsylvanians, the American Bar Association and American Medical Association chapters of Allegheny County have conferred on a new, clear and helpful living will and power of attorney form.

The National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) Initiative is a collaborative effort of national, state and community organizations committed to ensuring that all adults with decision-making capacity in the United States have the information and opportunity to communicate and document their healthcare decisions.