The CRITICAL ConditionsSM Planning Guide was designed to help Georgians have conversations about and document their final health care choices and decisions through a three step process. Step 1 of the guide, the Conversation Starter, describes a number of conditions that require decisions about providing or withholding medical treatments. Each issue is presented in a story format, followed by discussion questions. The stories describe situations individuals may find themselves in some day. The questions help families think through these situations and discuss their opinions and attitudes. Information boxes associated with each story provide definitions and data related to the issues being discussed. After discussing the cases in the Conversation Starter, families will have a better understanding of what types of medical treatments their loved ones want at the end of life. Step 2, the Individual Worksheet, moves users of the guide into making specific decisions about the care he or she would want in a number of conditions. The Individual Worksheet is not a legal document. It is more extensive and covers more issues than the legal document. Completing the Individual Worksheet prepares the user for executing the legal document called the Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care. Step 3 is the Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care. This document allows the user to do two things: legally appoint someone to make his/her health care decisions when he/she cannot speak for himself/herself formally state his/her wishes for the medical treatments he/she does or does not want to receive.