A Health Care Power of Attorney (POA) is a document that appoints someone else to make decisions regarding your medical care. The person you appoint is called an “agent”. Having a Healthcare POA allows you to plan in advance your directives concerning your healthcare before you are in the situation where those directives are actually needed. The goal of this document is not to allow the agent to impose their own opinions about what should happen to you, but to have you spell out your own wishes and have the agent simply carry those wishes out.
Your agent is activated if your health declines and you are unable to make your own decisions. You should give your Health Care POA to your healthcare provider and one to your agent so that the document is accessible if needed.
Choosing your Health Care POA Agent:
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Someone you trust and knows you well including your religious beliefs
Someone you trust and knows you well including your religious beliefs·Someone comfortable speaking to your physicians and overseeing your care
Someone comfortable speaking to your physicians and overseeing your care·Choose one person to act at a time rather than joint agents to avoid conflict
Choose one person to act at a time rather than joint agents to avoid conflictIn addition to other matters, Your Healthcare Power of Attorney may cover these issues:
Healthcare POA’s may terminate with a certain date or event or may continue indefinitely. Contact an attorney in your state to determine which duration of POA would best suit your needs.
THE LAW:
ACCORDINGtoCORAL
FEATURED COLUMNS
IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHCARE:
POWER OF ATTORNEY
by: Coral Pleas, Attorney
1. Whether or not you would want to be put on life support;
2. Whether or not there is any medical treatment that you have a religious objection to;
3. If you are a pregnant women, whether or not you are giving a directive with respect to the priority of care between yourself and your unborn child;
