Medical Durable Power Of Attorney Definition

Called also living will durable power of attorney for health care and sometimes advance health care directives or health care advance.

Medical durable power of attorney definition.

The purpose of a durable poa is to plan for medical emergencies cognitive decline later in life or other situations where you re no longer capable of making decisions. Durable power of attorney for health care. A power of attorney poa or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another s behalf in private affairs business or some other legal matter. An ordinary power of attorney expires if you become mentally incompetent while a durable power of attorney includes special wording that makes it effective even if that happens.

A healthcare power of attorney hcpa is a legal document that empowers a specific individual to speak with others and make decisions on your behalf concerning your medical condition treatment. The person authorizing the other to act is the principal grantor or donor of the power. The two types of durable power of attorney are immediate and springing the first type takes effect as soon as the durable power of attorney is executed. To make this easier some states combine a durable power of attorney for health care and health care declaration into a single form commonly called an advance health care directive for more information about preparing documents to direct your health care see the article the living will and power of attorney for health care.

A durable power of attorney is a power of attorney by which a principal designates another his attorney in fact in writing and the writing contains the words this power of attorney shall not be affected by subsequent disability or incapacity of the principal or lapse of time or this power of attorney shall become effective upon the disability or incapacity of the principal or similar. A durable power of attorney differs from a traditional power of attorney in that it continues the agency relationship beyond the incapacity of the principal. A type of advance medical directive in which legal documents provide the power of attorney to another person in the case of an incapacitating medical condition. A durable power of attorney allows another person to make bank transactions sign social security checks apply for disability or write checks to pay utility bills while an individual is medically incapacitated.

Instructions about a person s wishes goals and values regarding what will be done in case he or she becomes incapable of making decisions about medical care. The agent called an attorney in fact though the agent need not be an attorney can take care of important matters for the individual such as managing finances selling property paying bills or authorizing medical care.