Health Care Power of Attorney

You can reach us at (Ravenna) 330-296-8000 and (Stow) 330-686-2890

A Vital Document To Plan Your Care

A Health Care Power of Attorney is a binding document giving a relative or another person (the agent) the power to make health decisions on your behalf should you find yourself in a situation where you become unable to make these decisions yourself.

Unlike the Financial Power of Attorney, a Health Care Power of Attorney has to be done while you’re competent.

A Health Care Power of Attorney only comes into play when you are incompetent. A person cannot make decisions for you if you are competent.

A Health Care Power of Attorney is a little more standardized than the Financial Power of Attorneys. Still, it can be individualized for special wishes.

So, if you have certain preferences or requests concerning your health care, such as holistic health care or organ donation, for example, you want to make sure this is included in your Health Care Power of Attorney.

Power Of Attorney V. Living Will For End Of Life Decisions

A “Do Not Resuscitate” wish is typically not going to be included in your Health Care Power of Attorney. That’s going to be addressed in the Living Will. Here is the difference between those two documents:

A Health Care Power of Attorney names an agent to act on your behalf and gives that agent instructions regarding your care while incapacitated.

In a Living Will, you are addressing your medical providers. So you’re saying: “Doctor if I’m currently unconscious, if I’m in a terminal condition, this is what I want you to do.” This way, your agent does not have to make the decision. You are the one who did.

You can, however, still authorize your agent to make an end-of-life decision for you, and most Health Care Power of Attorneys will have some language giving some direction for your agent. The Living Will, however, will kind of trump that because it indicates that decisions have already been made.

The Living Will take the pressure off of your agent or relatives because you make the decisions for them ahead of time.

Portage County Estate Planning Lawyer

Our Estate Planning lawyer can help you gain peace of mind by securing these issues. Consulting with an experienced estate planning lawyer is essential. It will ensure that your final wishes regarding your property, your loved ones, and your healthcare options are carried out.

Not all lawyers are created equal. In difficult times, it is vital to select a lawyer who can relate to your situation in a very professional and sensible way.

Our Estate Planning attorney has the experience you need to address all your questions regarding wills trusts and probate, including estate administration. He is a knowledgeable and compassionate lawyer.

We are located 5 minutes from the Portage County courthouse in Ravenna, OH. Our law firm was created in 2000, and our lawyers have been servicing the Portage County community ever since.

Disclaimer

The ohiocrimelawyer.com website is designed for general information only. Any information on this site is not to be construed as formal legal advice from a criminal defense lawyer, a DUI lawyer, a family law lawyer, or estate planning, wills, trusts, and probate lawyer, nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. Persons accessing this site are encouraged to seek personal advice regarding their individual legal issues.

The attorneys in our law firm primarily service Portage County courts (Ravenna and Kent) from our office in Ravenna and Summit County courts (Akron, Stow, Barberton) from our office in Stow. Cases in all other courts in North East Ohio, such as Cuyahoga County courts, are handled under specific terms and conditions.