A durable power of attorney for healthcare is a legal document where you appoint someone to be your agent and in the event you are unable to make or communicate decisions about your health care, your agent can make the decisions for you.
You may appoint one person as well as alternates if your first agent has died, is unavailable or has refused to act. This Healthcare Power of Attorney are meant to cover situations when you are not mentally competent to make decisions. You can also decide in advance if you consent to the donation of all or any of your tissue or organs for transplantation.
If you have a living will, your agent will not have authority to make any decisions where the living will applies. This document can also contain your directives regarding life-sustaining treatment and tube feeding. You have three choices:
Grant Discretion to Your Agent. You do not want your life to be prolonged nor do you want life-sustaining treatment if your agent believes the burdens of the treatment outweigh the expected benefits. Your agent will consider the relief of suffering, your personal beliefs, the expense involved and the quality as well as possible extension of your life when making decisions.
Withhold or Withdraw Treatment. You do not want your life to be prolonged and do not want life-sustaining treatment.
Maximum Treatment. You want your life to be prolonged to the greatest extent possible, within the standards of accepted medical practice, without regard to your condition, the chances you have for recovery, or the cost.
If life-sustaining treatment is withdrawn or withheld, you have a choice between the following three options:
Grant Discretion to Your Agent. You do not want your life to be prolonged by feeding if your agent believes the burdens of tube feeding outweigh the expected benefits. Your agent will consider the relief of suffering, your personal beliefs, the expense involved and the quality as well as possible extension of your life when making decisions.
Withhold or Withdraw Treatment. You do not want your life to be prolonged by tube feeding.
Maximum Treatment. You want tube feeding to the greatest extent possible, within the standards of accepted medical practice, without regard to your condition, the chances you have for recovery, or the cost.
