Part of proper estate planning comes down to planning your will and your healthcare power of attorney (HCPA). The healthcare power of attorney is designed to empower an individual of your choosing to make decisions about your medical care. It is crucial to choose your HCPA wisely as they will legally be able to make medical decisions on your behalf.
Health care Power of Attorney
The healthcare power of attorney listed will become your healthcare proxy. A healthcare proxy will discuss your medical condition with providers and can prevent unwanted treatments. An HCPA is relatively easy to draft, but it must be notarized to be legally enforceable. You can destroy an old HCPA and develop a new one if your circumstances or relationship with your designed proxy change.
Why Choose an HCPA?
An HCPA is designed to make life easier when there are medical circumstances beyond your control. For example, if you are severely injured in a car accident, and you cannot speak or move, your HCPA will step in to make decisions. The HCPA will communicate with medical providers for the sake of your wellbeing.
In addition to medical care, an HCPA will be able to determine if illness or injury is substantial enough to cause end of life. The HCPA can serve as the person to make a difficult decision to remove life support to make death more comfortable.
Appointing an HCPA
To appoint an HCPA, you need to fill out a form and provide information about any stipulations you have about medical decisions. The form will include information about do-not-resuscitate (DNR). Schedule an appointment with our office in Ogden, UT to discuss wills and trusts and to make sure you have all the required information for future medical care decisions.
