A nurse is reviewing the purpose of advance directives with a client. Which of the following statements should the nurse make?

Rationale: A. "It expresses your wishes regarding health care when you can no longer communicate.": Advance directives are legal documents that state a client's preferences for medical care if they become unable to communicate those decisions themselves. This includes choices about life-sustaining treatments, resuscitation, and organ donation. B. "It specifies your choices regarding funeral arrangements.": Funeral arrangements are typically addressed in a will or separate personal document, not in advance directives. Advance directives focus on medical decisions, not postmortem planning. C. "It defines the criteria for the distribution of your assets.": The distribution of assets is handled through a last will and testament or estate planning documents, not through an advance directive. The directive is solely for healthcare-related decisions. D. "It appoints a health care provider to speak for you with power of attorney for health care.": An advance directive may include the appointment of a health care proxy or agent, but it does not appoint a health care provider. It designates a trusted individual—not a clinician to make decisions if the client is incapacitated.