Advance directives are formal instructions that allow patients who are to decide in advance about their future medical care in the event they become unable to make direct medical decisions. An advance directive can assign a person to be a , who can can make medical decisions in case a person becomes .

Choices for the first blank
a. Competent
b. mentally handicapped

Choices for the second blank
a. medical practitioner
b. healthcare agent

Choices for the third blank
a. unwilling to make difficult end-of life decisions.
b. unable to express his or her own medical wishes.