What is the difference between an Enduring Power of Guardianship and an Advance Health Directive?
An Enduring Power of Guardianship is a legal document in which you appoint one or more persons as Enduring Guardian(s) to make personal, lifestyle and treatment decisions on your behalf. You can choose the type of decisions your Enduring Guardian will be able to make. Such decisions include where you will live, and what treatment and medical services you will receive. An Advance Health Directive is a document that contains your decisions about future treatment. Treatment includes medical, surgical and dental treatment and other health care. You can make an Advance Health Directive in which you either provide consent, or refuse consent, to future treatment. Having an Advance Health Directive means that in the event you are unable to make a treatment decision yourself, the instructions you have given in your Advance Health Directive will be used instead of your appointed Enduring Guardian making these decisions for you.
