Georgia Advanced Healthcare Directives: Secure Your Wishes Before a Crisis

EmergencyNotaryServices.com
Jun 19
2 min read

Updated: Jun 20

Emergencies strike without warning. A completed Advanced Healthcare Directive guarantees that Georgia doctors, hospitals, and loved ones follow your choices for treatment and end-of-life care—even if you cannot speak.

At EmergencyNotaryServices.com, you can download the free Georgia forms from AARP in minutes. Below, we explain each part of the package, why it matters, and how to get everything witnessed or notarized the easy way.

📘 What Is a Georgia Advanced Healthcare Directive?

Georgia replaced its separate Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney in 2007 with one streamlined Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care. The form lets you:

Name a trusted decision-maker (health-care agent)
Spell out the treatments you do—or do not—want
Guide providers when you’re preparing for hospitalization or facing a terminal illness aging.georgia.gov

State law says the directive must be signed in front of two adult witnesses who are not your agent or heirs; notarization is optional but recommended for extra authenticity. advancedirectives.comlaw.justia.com

📂 What’s Inside a Typical Georgia Directive Package?

👤 Health-Care Agent (Part One)

Choose someone you trust to speak with doctors, review records, and authorize—or refuse—treatments if you become unable to decide.

📝 Treatment Preferences / Living Will (Part Two)

Indicate your wishes for ventilators, feeding tubes, dialysis, pain management, and organ donation when you are permanently unconscious or terminally ill.

🛡️ Optional Guardianship (Part Three)

If a court ever needs to appoint a guardian, you can nominate the same person (or someone else) here, keeping all decisions consistent.

🔐 HIPAA Authorization

This separate release lets your agent and named loved ones access protected medical records so they can act quickly and fully informed.

❌ POLST / DNR Order

If you do not want CPR or other resuscitation, ask your physician for a Physician Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) or Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) form. Keep the signed original with your records and EMS.

(POLST/DNR orders are physician-issued and travel with you; they complement, not replace, the directive.)

⏰ Why Finish the Paperwork Now

Fast action in emergencies—no waiting for family consensus
Legal clarity—Georgia providers must honor valid directives
Peace of mind—loved ones avoid painful guessing

📥 Download your Georgia Advance Directive packet here (via AARP) and review it with your chosen agent today.

🖊️ Need Witnesses or a Notary? We’ve Got You.

Georgia demands two qualified witnesses; many residents still add a notary seal for greater acceptance by out-of-state facilities and financial institutions.

Search our Notary Directory for a nearby professional.
Can’t find one? Request a free quote and we’ll connect you with a mobile or remote notary who can meet at home, hospital, or office—often the same day.