A Health Care Directive, commonly known as a living will, is one of the most important documents a person can have. A Health Care Directive appoints a person to make decisions about your medical treatment when you are no longer able to make those decisions yourself. A Health Care Directive is vital to make sure the person making those decisions is a person you trust. Without a Health Care Directive, a guardianship proceeding is necessary for those decisions to be made. Guardianship proceedings can be very costly and most importantly, result in a court deciding who will be appointed guardian. That person may not be the same person you would choose.