Planning Ahead: Durable Medical Power of Attorney

As you learn about making your way through the healthcare system, there are many things to think about. An important tool is the Durable Medical Power of Attorney.

A Durable Medical Power of Attorney helps to assure that the medical professionals and your family/friends are able to carry out your wishes if you are unable to communicate due to illness or injury.

A Durable Medical Power of Attorney is a document that you create. It grants the authority to a person of your choice to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are unable to participate in the care planning.

Durable Medical Power of Attorney is also known as Advanced Directives.

A Living Will provides instructions to doctors, hospitals and family/friends concerning the use of specific procedures designed to sustain life – such as ventilators, feeding tubes, or dialysis. A living will also authorizes medical facilities to withhold certain procedures if there is no reasonable chance for recovery. This document outlines YOUR wishes – there is no need to appoint anyone to carry them out.

You may have both a living will and a Durable Medical Power of Attorney.

To create a Durable Medical Power of Attorney, check the laws of your state. Often the forms are available at no charge online or at your healthcare provider’s office.

With a Durable Medical Power of Attorney, you are not giving up control; rather you are making sure that your wishes will be carried out if you are unable to make the decisions.

The person you choose does not have to be a family member, nor does it have to be the family member that lives closest. It should be someone who is readily available by phone in case of emergency. Select someone who knows you and is willing to carry out your wishes about your medical care.

Copies of your Durable Medial Power of Attorney should be given to your physician, your hospital, the person(s) you have chosen to represent you, and extra copies in a safe place such as a safety deposit box or a fire-proof cabinet. Make sure your emergency contact and at least one other person knows where you keep it and how to access it.

Often, we find it too difficult to think about these issues – we still have YEARS of a good life. But, if we don’t plan for the unforeseen, we could end up in a situation where our wishes are not taken into consideration. It is important to plan ahead, and to talk to those who will be making decisions on our behalf about what we consider to be quality of life. These conversations are much easier in theory than they are in reality, so plan ahead. Make your wishes known, and choose who will make those decisions if you can’t.