Your Healthcare Power Of Attorney
If you are thinking of creating a healthcare power of attorney, commonly referred to as a durable power of attorney for health care, it may be in your best interest to enlist the help of an experienced Des Moines, IA healthcare power of attorney lawyer who understands the law and procedures to do this. The compassionate team at the Law Group Of Iowa has been helping clients with estate planning and the different kinds of power of attorney for over 16 years. We know how daunting it is to choose someone to give the power to and under what circumstances it should be executed and we are here to help. Contact us today to find out how we might be able to start helping you.
Power Of Attorney (POA)
A healthcare POA, or a durable POA for healthcare, or healthcare proxy, is a legal document that allows an individual to choose the person they designate to have the authority to make medical decisions for them if they do not have the capacity to do this for themself. If you choose to do this, this means that you are authorizing your healthcare power of attorney agent (the person you designated) to make decisions about the kinds of treatments, procedures, surgeries, and medications a doctor is recommending for you. You can be very specific about what your agent can and cannot decide on your behalf. You can put in your healthcare power of attorney that you do not want to be put on a ventilator or life support system, etc. While it can be overwhelming to think about doing this for yourself, with the help of a Des Moines healthcare power of attorney lawyer on your side, you will likely be surprised by how easy it was and will feel a sense of relief for finally having taken care of this.
When A Healthcare Power Of Attorney Should Be Created
Many people think that healthcare power of attorneys are only needed for older people or people who are in or are going to be in a long-term nursing home or other medical facility. Anyone over the age of 18 can create a power of attorney and the reality is, there are many situations where young and older people alike can benefit from having a healthcare POA in place.
It can be a good idea to do this if you are going travelling, have a serious illness, or just in case of a catastrophic accident or illness. If you make a healthcare POA for yourself when you are younger, it is a good idea to revisit it from time to time because who you trust to make decisions for you may change over the years.
If you would like to learn more about how a Des Moines healthcare power of attorney lawyer may be able to help you through the process of creating a POA efficiently and streamlined, contact the compassionate and experienced team at the Law Group of Iowa today for a free consultation.
