A living will—also known as an Advance Health Care Directive—is a document in which the declarant or principal (person making the living will) specifies what kind of medical treatment the declarant does and does not want if the declarant has a medical emergency and is unable to communicate those wishes. A living will may direct health care providers to administer, withhold, or withdraw life-sustaining treatments if the declarant is in a terminal or irreversible condition.

Laws and terminology for documents related to living wills, Advance Health Care Directives, Do Not Resuscitate orders (DNRs), and other health care documents vary from state to state. These laws are generally located in a state’s statutes—often in the probate code or estates code.

In Colorado, a living will is known as a 'Medical Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare Decisions' or an 'Advance Directive.' Under Colorado law, specifically the Colorado Medical Treatment Decision Act (C.R.S. Title 15, Article 18), an individual who is of sound mind and at least 18 years old can create an Advance Directive to outline their wishes regarding medical treatment in the event they are unable to communicate due to a terminal condition or persistent vegetative state. The document allows the declarant to specify whether they want life-sustaining procedures to be withheld or withdrawn when such treatments would only serve to prolong the dying process or maintain a condition of permanent unconsciousness. Additionally, Colorado recognizes Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders, which instruct medical personnel not to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if the patient's breathing or heart stops. It's important for individuals to discuss their wishes with their family, health care agent, and physician, and to ensure that their Advance Directive is accessible to health care providers in an emergency.