![]() That means selecting someone who you’ll be comfortable talking with about your medical history, including current health conditions and symptoms. One important part of establishing a health care proxy is getting that person up to date on your current health and wishes-before a crisis hits. For example, if you feel strongly that you wouldn’t want to stay on life support indefinitely, but know your sister would struggle to follow through with your choice in a crisis, she may not be the best person for the role. It’s crucial that the person be someone you trust to access your sensitive medical information and to understand what’s important to you.Ī health care proxy can be any adult-a spouse, sibling, relative, or even close friend-but you should take care to select someone whose emotional connection to you won’t impact their decision to act in your best interests. (However, you should also have a separate durable power of attorney document in place appointing someone to handle your legal and financial affairs more broadly.) How to choose your health care proxyĪ health care proxy can play a vital role in your care, if needed. And when it comes to covering the expense of your care, they can take legal action on your behalf and apply for Medicare, Medicaid, or other programs or insurance benefits on your behalf. In order to help inform those decisions, a proxy has access to your medical history or charts and can approve the release of your medical records to other providers. They can also choose which hospital, medical facility, nursing home, or hospice center you move to for your care. They can authorize or refuse tests and treatments, pain management assistance, and even life-support procedures. If you don’t name a proxy yourself, you run the risk of your loved ones struggling over who has the right to make medical decisions for you in a crisis-or having someone you don’t want making those decisions.Ī health care proxy (also known as an agent or surrogate) can make choices about your medical care, including tests, medications and surgeries-but only if you’re unable to speak for yourself. So it’s important both that you create a health care proxy and that you select someone you trust, whether that’s a close friend or family member. Your health care proxy has the power to consult with doctors, review your medical records, and make important decisions about your medical treatment.Īnd a proxy might be more important than you realize: A 2014 study found that nearly 50 percent of adults age 65 and older required at least some involvement from a family member or another surrogate decision-maker within 48 hours of being hospitalized. Who would you pick to make medical decisions for you if you were no longer able to make them on your own? That’s the question answered by a health care proxy, also known as a durable power of attorney for health care or a medical power of attorney.
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