What is a health care power of attorney?

A health care power of attorney (POA) is a document that allows you to appoint someone to make decisions about your medical care if you are unable to do so. This document is particularly important in Elder Law in Washington, as it allows you to plan ahead and appoint someone you trust to make sure your wishes are followed. The Washington State Health Care POA document lets you name a person or persons you trust to make decisions about your care, if you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to make decisions yourself. You can direct that your health care power of attorney make decisions about how you will be treated, where you will receive care, whether to withhold or withdraw treatment, and more. It is important to talk with your chosen agent before you sign the document so that your wishes are clearly understood. If you do not have a health care power of attorney in place, your family could go through a lengthy court process to be named your guardian in order to make decisions that you cannot make. The benefit of having a health care power of attorney is that you can make decisions in advance as to who you want to take care of your medical decisions, rather than having a court make those decisions for you. It is important to have an experienced attorney review your document and offer advice and counsel when creating a health care power of attorney in Washington.

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What is a health care power of attorney?

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