Advance Directives

The New York Legal Assistance Group’s Total Life Choices project (TLC) enables individuals to take control of their health care choices by promoting the use of advance directives through education, legal assistance and community partnerships.  In addition, TLC offers secure online storage of these important documents for easy accessibility should the need arise. TLC seeks to prevent situations where health care professionals are without clear instructions on individuals’ preferences for medical care and families suffer undue stress because the where abouts of advance directives are unknown.

Informational presentations and workshops
Advance directives workshops for consumers may be scheduled anytime Monday through Friday between 9:00am and 5:00pm.  NYLAG staff and summer law students will conduct presentations, which generally last between 30 minutes and 1 hour and include the following content:

• Advance Directives:  Their Use and Importance:
  • Who Should Have an Advance Directive?
  • Why Advance Directives Are Important in New York
  • Health Care Decision Making:  What Are Your Rights?
• Overview of Living Will Forms
  • Life-Sustaining Medical Options
• Overview of Health Care Proxy Forms
  • The Health Care Agent Relationship:  Roles and Responsibilities
• The U.S. Living Will Registry®
  • History and Purpose
  • Benefits of Electronic Registration
  • The Registration Process:  How it Works
  • Live Demonstration of Online Registry
• Total Life Choices
  • How to Contact
  • Resources and Assistance

NYLAG provides both living will and health care proxy forms and informational materials to audiences.  Presentations can be customized for specific audiences and include additional topics upon request. 

Staff training sessions for social service and health care professionals

NYLAG conducts onsite sessions on advance directives so that staff may be better equipped to answer client questions and be able to refer them to NYLAG for electronic registration and further assistance.  Presentation includes information covered in the consumer workshop and detailed information on the Registry service and the referral process.

Are your health care choices protected? 
Prepare a free living will or health care proxy and register for a free, lifetime
account with the
U.S. Living Will Registry®.
Click here to learn more