Does a Will Cover Medical Decisions in Alberta?
Last updated 2026-06 · Alberta
No — your will has no power while you're alive. It governs what happens after death and nothing before it. If an accident or illness leaves you unable to decide for yourself, your will can't authorize anyone to handle your money or your medical care. Alberta covers incapacity with two separate documents.
A will is a death-only document
Your Alberta will distributes your estate, appoints a personal representative, and can name a guardian for minor children — but all of those powers start at death. Incapacity needs its own planning.
Alberta's incapacity documents
- Enduring Power of Attorney — lets a person you choose manage your financial and legal affairs if you lose capacity. "Enduring" means it continues through incapacity.
- Personal Directive — Alberta's instrument for personal and health-care decisions. It lets you name an "agent" to make medical, housing, and personal decisions, and to record your treatment wishes, if you can't speak for yourself.
Without these, your family may have to apply under Alberta's adult guardianship and trusteeship system — a court-based process that's slow and costly, exactly when speed matters.
"Living wills" in Alberta
What people call a "living will" is, in Alberta, the Personal Directive. You can set out the care you do and don't want, and your named agent must act on those instructions.
The Alberta document set most adults need
- A will (after death).
- An Enduring Power of Attorney (finances during incapacity).
- A Personal Directive (health and personal care during incapacity).
Those three together close the gap that a will alone leaves open.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a will and a power of attorney in Alberta? A will operates after death; an enduring power of attorney operates while you're alive but incapable. Do I need a living will in Alberta? Alberta's version is the Personal Directive, which covers your health-care wishes and names an agent. Who makes medical decisions if I'm incapacitated in Alberta? Your agent under a Personal Directive; without one, a court-appointed guardian or a nearest relative under provincial rules. What documents do I need besides a will in Alberta? An Enduring Power of Attorney and a Personal Directive.
Not legal advice. General information about Alberta law as of 2026. Confirm specifics with an Alberta estate lawyer.
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