Health Care Power of Attorney
A Health Care Power of Attorney is where you name an individual, your agent, to make health care decisions for you if you are unable to make those decisions on your own.
Your agent can be a family member or friend.
A properly drafted Health Care Power of Attorney will also allow for your agent to have you admitted to a Level One nursing care facility in the event you have Alzheimer's or dementia and are unable to make that decision on your own. This will avoid an expensive court proceeding called a Guardianship.
Financial Power of Attorney
A Financial Power of Attorney is where you name an individual, your agent, to make financial decisions for you. It is referred to as a Durable Financial Power of Attorney if it is drafted to be valid both now and during your incapacity. It is referred to as a Springing Financial Power of Attorney if it is not to become valid until after your incapacity or upon a specifically defined event.
Your agent can be a family member or friend. A Financial Power of Attorney is a very powerful document. Your agent will have the authority to make important financial and legal decisions on your behalf. Given the broad authority, you should implicitly trust the person you are naming as your agent.
