The Advance Health Care Directive is now the legally recognized format for a living will in California.  The Advance Health Care Directive allows you to do more than the traditional living will, which only states your desire not to receive life-sustaining treatment if you are terminally ill or permanently unconscious.  An Advance Health Care Directive allows you to state your wishes about refusing or accepting life-sustaining treatment in any situation in which you are unable to make your own decisions, not just when you are in a coma or are terminally ill.