One of the most common concerns we hear when dealing with clients that have recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease is concern over making sure that their families have the ability to make medical decisions once the disease progresses to a point they cannot make these decisions for themselves. To resolve this concern, we put together a durable power of attorney for health care decisions.
Sometimes referred to as a health care power of attorney or a health care proxy, this is an advanced medical directive that grants the power over medical decisions to specific person. Often, these documents include a living will that explains how end of life decisions should be handled. In addition to giving the patient the peace of mind, it also helps relieve much of the burden and guilt that families face when making decisions without a clear directive from their loved one.
A healthcare power of attorney is a “springing” power of attorney. This means that no one can control your medical or health decisions until you are unable to do so yourself. A living will is a document that covers sensitive subjects including life support and interventions you wish to have, or not have, when end of life approaches.
