Power of Attorney

Medical Power Of Attorney

A medical power of attorney concerns only decisions based on medical care. Learn why you need a medical power of attorney even if you have a living will here.

A medical power of attorney is the same thing as a healthcare power of attorney. A medical power of attorney names a trusted person (also known as the agent) to make decisions on your behalf regarding your medical care.

A medical power of attorney is different than a living will because the living will states what you want to happen in the event that life support is needed, while a medical power of attorney simply allows someone to decide what to do in regards to medical care should you not be able to decide this for yourself. It may also include the use of life support, or it may not.

A medical power of attorney can be beneficial if you are unconscious for some reason. You could be young and had an accident, or you may be older and be simply experiencing bad health. In either case, a medical power of attorney lets someone close to you (someone you picked while in good health) make decisions for you based on the information at the time.

When assigning someone a medical power of attorney, you should discuss with them in advance what you would want to happen in certain cases. Since there are a million different medical situations you could find yourself in, you obviously will not be able to discuss all of them, but you can talk about the ones that you think of or care about the most.

The person you choose to be the agent of your medical power of attorney should be someone that you trust to carry out your wishes as opposed to their own. For example, if you truly do not want something to occur in a certain situation, but you know that this person will do whatever it takes to keep you alive, that is not the best person to choose to be the agent of your medical power of attorney.

Since medical difficulties can happen to anyone—young, old, rich, poor, it doesn’t matter—everyone should have a medical power of attorney. It is better to face the issue and choose someone now than to have confusion, arguments, and other issues when it comes time for your family to make decisions regarding your health care.