Talk to Your Health Care Power of Attorney

The Attorney in Fact that you appoint in your Health Care Power of Attorney is the person responsible for making your health care decisions when you are not capable of making them. However, the effectiveness of the person you appoint is only as good as you allow them to be. There is something that you should do now before the Health Care Power of Attorney has any legal effect. Talk to the person you are appointing.

If someone is acting as your Health Care Power of Attorney, that person should be making health care decisions for you based on what is in your best interests and what you would decide if you were able to make the decisions. However, if the Power of Attorney does not know what you would do, then it is impossible for him or her to decide as you would. For this reason, you should not only tell the person you are appointing that you are giving him or her the authority, you should also run through various medical situations and let him or her know how you want those different situations handled.

Your Health Care Power of Attorney can be the most important person in your life when they are needed to act. Make sure the person you choose has the necessary information to do what you want.