Test-Driving Your Medical Power-Of-Attorney

If you are over the age of eighteen, you should have put into place legal paperwork naming another individual (or better, two) to act as your power-of-attorney for health care decisions in case you become incapacitated.

Unfortunately, you cannot assume that if you are married, or have a parent or an adult child, said person will automatically function as a decision-maker if you can’t. In fact, the exact opposite may be true. These days, whenever my husband or I see a new doctor, we make sure to sign the form that allows the other one access to all our medical records. It’s amazing the information you are not allowed to find out about your own spouse, unless you’ve signed this paperwork. I always tell my health care providers that if I am not available to receive their calls, they may give my husband the report and/or leave a detailed message on my voicemail.

But beyond those types of aggravating but usually non-lethal situations, you will eventually—-if you live long enough, which is precisely the outcome I hope to produce by writing this post!—-be called upon to function as power-of-attorney for a spouse, family member, or friend, or you will require these services from someone you trust.

I’d like to encourage you today to give this decision some very serious thought. You might be married to the NICEST, KINDEST, MOST NURTURING AND CARING person in the universe, and because of that, he or she might just prove to be the worst choice to help you navigate the roiling waters of the healthcare system if you are not able to fend for yourself. Your sweet spouse might be constitutionally incapable of creating the kind of ruckus in the plodding, paint-by-numbers hospital setting that is sometimes (read:often) required if your sorry situation is to be salvaged.

Estate planners and others who guide you into putting these important documents in place will almost always say that usually it’s advisable for spouses to act as medical POAs for each other. My advice? Sure, sign your spouse up. But make sure you add a second person, whose name will usually follow a clause in the document that says your second choice will come into play if your first choice is “unavailable, unwilling, or incapable” of acting on your behalf.

When you really need someone to step up to the emergency plate for you, you’d better have SOMEONE in your line-up whose views about end-of-life measures and whose abilities to communicate, question, verify, substantiate, research, and follow-through are impeccable.

You want someone willing to suspend his or her own interests in order to advocate for you when you are unable to care for yourself. You want someone whose personality is unflinching in the face of those pesky authority figures called doctors, nurse managers, and hospital administrators. You want someone who can and will google the heck out of your symptoms, diseases, and injuries, and not take no for an answer when he’s told they’ve “done everything they can,” unless he knows for sure that it’s the truth.

I am NOT talking about keeping your loved ones alive forever, attached to plastic tubing and masks and needles, with a clothespin pinching their index fingers to make sure they’ve got sufficient O2 for the next second’s need. I have absolutely no interest in being tied to this earth beyond what seems reasonable to God Himself, and when I function as power-of-attorney for my mother, I keep that firmly in mind.

However, I also realize that often, with even a modicum of appropriate health care, a terribly ill patient can be restored to a reasonable quality of life. The job of the power-of-attorney in those circumstances is to make sure——against what can often be nearly insurmountable odds—-that effective health care is attempted and achieved.

Assuming you have named at least one person to be your own power-of-attorney, I suggest you give him a test drive during your next medical situation. Even if it’s not a bona fide emergency in which you lose your ability to act on your own behalf, you can still—-by paying attention—-get a good idea of how your POA might behave in more difficult times. Does he take notes? Ask salient questions? Ask about the types of tests the doctor might do? Bring up important points of your medical history the doctor might not be aware of or taking into consideration? These are all good clues about how he might function when the screws really start to turn.

Apply the same standards to yourself, as well, if you have agreed to function as power-of-attorney for another. It truly is an important—-and often life-saving—-responsibility and shouldn’t be agreed to lightly. Unless you really intend to be there for that person when things get as bad as they can get, you might want to pass on the “privilege” to someone who is up to this particular life challenge. It is NOT for everyone!

In any case, add at least one alternate name to your own powers-of-attorney, and if you serve as power-of-attorney for another, you might ask that person to add another POA, too. Consider grown children who share your values, or friends you’ve witnessed handling their loved ones’ care in a competent manner.

While there’s not always safety in numbers, in the case of having a couple of POAs, I don’t think it hurts a bit.

Posted by Katy on 01/30/09 at 10:40 AM

Fallible Comments...

Katy,
I have never signed any of those papers. Am I gonna have a problem later? My husband has a medical background (He was a combat medic and orthopedic specilaist in the army) but he is really bad about dealing with illness and death. Fortunately my oldest daughter is a nurse. THey are both tigers, so I am thinking I should get my medical POA drawn up with them both on it. Thirty-eight years of marriage and they don't let them see your medical reacords? But of course every person in the hospital can see it and the government and the insurance co. What a crock!!
Posted by Sandi Thompson on 02/02/09 at 05:22 PM
i would suggest that you should be really careful while doing such stuff.
Posted by commercial space rent gurgaon on 09/25/09 at 02:11 AM
I've had medical power of attorney for my father for years now, this week my sister obtained a new one but Dad doesn't remember signing it and doesn't agree, what should be done to make sure the original power of attorney is the active one?
Posted by Symptoms on 09/30/09 at 01:26 AM
I always tell my health care providers that if I am not available to receive their calls, they may give my husband the report and/or leave a detailed message on my voice mail..<a href="http://www.healthwatchcenter.com/2009/04/americas-top-10-most-expensive-medical-conditions/">medical conditions</a>
Posted by medical conditions on 10/10/09 at 05:49 AM
Why does public health care fit the criteria to be considered an issue?
<a href="http://www.supplements.net/">Supplement</a>
Posted by Supplement on 10/18/09 at 11:30 PM
I don’t have any real objections to making Spanish an official second language,but if that means having all road signs in two languages, all legal documents in two languages
<a href="http://www.priorityshred.com/new-jersey-document-shredding.html/">New Jersey document destruction</a>
Posted by New Jersey document destruction on 10/29/09 at 01:42 AM
Why does public health care fit the criteria to be considered an issue?
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Posted by Best Supplements on 11/09/09 at 12:08 AM
I also realize that often, with even a modicum of appropriate health care, a terribly ill patient can be restored to a reasonable quality of life. The job of the power-of-attorney in those circumstances is to make sure against what can often be nearly insurmountable odds that effective health care is attempted and achieved.
Posted by Bridges To Recovery on 01/18/10 at 06:45 AM
It is effective immediately after it is executed and delivered to the agent. It is effective indefinitely unless it contains a specific termination date, it is revoked, or the principal becomes competent.
Posted by medical insurance reviews on 09/07/10 at 02:10 PM

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Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	Test-Driving Your Medical Power-Of-Attorney If you are over the age of eighteen, you should have put into place legal paperwork naming another individual (or better, two) to act as your power-of-attorney for health care decisions in case you become incapacitated. Unfortunately, you cannot assume that if you are married, or have a parent or an adult child, said person will automatically function as a decision-maker if you can’t. In fact, the exact opposite may be true. These days, whenever my husband or I see a new doctor, we make sure to sign the form that allows the other one access to all our medical records. It’s amazing the information you are not allowed to find out about your own spouse, unless you’ve signed this paperwork. I always tell my health care providers that if I am not available to receive their calls, they may give my husband the report and/or leave a detailed message on my voicemail. But beyond those types of aggravating but usually non-lethal situations, you will eventually—-if you live long enough, which is precisely the outcome I hope to produce by writing this post!—-be called upon to function as power-of-attorney for a spouse, family member, or friend, or you will require these services from someone you trust. I’d like to encourage you today to give this decision some very serious thought. You might be married to the NICEST, KINDEST, MOST NURTURING AND CARING person in the universe, and because of that, he or she might just prove to be the worst choice to help you navigate the roiling waters of the healthcare system if you are not able to fend for yourself. Your sweet spouse might be constitutionally incapable of creating the kind of ruckus in the plodding, paint-by-numbers hospital setting that is sometimes (read:often) required if your sorry situation is to be salvaged. Estate planners and others who guide you into putting these important documents in place will almost always say that usually it’s advisable for spouses to act as medical POAs for each other. My advice? Sure, sign your spouse up. But make sure you add a second person, whose name will usually follow a clause in the document that says your second choice will come into play if your first choice is “unavailable, unwilling, or incapable” of acting on your behalf. When you really need someone to step up to the emergency plate for you, you’d better have SOMEONE in your line-up whose views about end-of-life measures and whose abilities to communicate, question, verify, substantiate, research, and follow-through are impeccable. You want someone willing to suspend his or her own interests in order to advocate for you when you are unable to care for yourself. You want someone whose personality is unflinching in the face of those pesky authority figures called doctors, nurse managers, and hospital administrators. You want someone who can and will google the heck out of your symptoms, diseases, and injuries, and not take no for an answer when he’s told they’ve “done everything they can,” unless he knows for sure that it’s the truth. I am NOT talking about keeping your loved ones alive forever, attached to plastic tubing and masks and needles, with a clothespin pinching their index fingers to make sure they’ve got sufficient O2 for the next second’s need. I have absolutely no interest in being tied to this earth beyond what seems reasonable to God Himself, and when I function as power-of-attorney for my mother, I keep that firmly in mind. However, I also realize that often, with even a modicum of appropriate health care, a terribly ill patient can be restored to a reasonable quality of life. The job of the power-of-attorney in those circumstances is to make sure——against what can often be nearly insurmountable odds—-that effective health care is attempted and achieved. Assuming you have named at least one person to be your own power-of-attorney, I suggest you give him a test drive during your next medical situation. Even if it’s not a bona fide emergency in which you lose your ability to act on your own behalf, you can still—-by paying attention—-get a good idea of how your POA might behave in more difficult times. Does he take notes? Ask salient questions? Ask about the types of tests the doctor might do? Bring up important points of your medical history the doctor might not be aware of or taking into consideration? These are all good clues about how he might function when the screws really start to turn. Apply the same standards to yourself, as well, if you have agreed to function as power-of-attorney for another. It truly is an important—-and often life-saving—-responsibility and shouldn’t be agreed to lightly. Unless you really intend to be there for that person when things get as bad as they can get, you might want to pass on the “privilege” to someone who is up to this particular life challenge. It is NOT for everyone! In any case, add at least one alternate name to your own powers-of-attorney, and if you serve as power-of-attorney for another, you might ask that person to add another POA, too. Consider grown children who share your values, or friends you’ve witnessed handling their loved ones’ care in a competent manner. While there’s not always safety in numbers, in the case of having a couple of POAs, I don’t think it hurts a bit. Posted by Katy on 01/30/09 at 10:40 AM Fallible Comments... Katy, I have never signed any of those papers. Am I gonna have a problem later? My husband has a medical background (He was a combat medic and orthopedic specilaist in the army) but he is really bad about dealing with illness and death. Fortunately my oldest daughter is a nurse. THey are both tigers, so I am thinking I should get my medical POA drawn up with them both on it. Thirty-eight years of marriage and they don't let them see your medical reacords? But of course every person in the hospital can see it and the government and the insurance co. What a crock!! Posted by Sandi Thompson on 02/02/09 at 05:22 PM i would suggest that you should be really careful while doing such stuff. Posted by commercial space rent gurgaon on 09/25/09 at 02:11 AM I've had medical power of attorney for my father for years now, this week my sister obtained a new one but Dad doesn't remember signing it and doesn't agree, what should be done to make sure the original power of attorney is the active one? Posted by Symptoms on 09/30/09 at 01:26 AM I always tell my health care providers that if I am not available to receive their calls, they may give my husband the report and/or leave a detailed message on my voice mail..<a href="http://www.healthwatchcenter.com/2009/04/americas-top-10-most-expensive-medical-conditions/">medical conditions</a> Posted by medical conditions on 10/10/09 at 05:49 AM Why does public health care fit the criteria to be considered an issue? <a href="http://www.supplements.net/">Supplement</a> Posted by Supplement on 10/18/09 at 11:30 PM I don’t have any real objections to making Spanish an official second language,but if that means having all road signs in two languages, all legal documents in two languages <a href="http://www.priorityshred.com/new-jersey-document-shredding.html/">New Jersey document destruction</a> Posted by New Jersey document destruction on 10/29/09 at 01:42 AM Why does public health care fit the criteria to be considered an issue? <a href="http://www.supplementsbest.com">Best Supplements</a> Posted by Best Supplements on 11/09/09 at 12:08 AM I also realize that often, with even a modicum of appropriate health care, a terribly ill patient can be restored to a reasonable quality of life. The job of the power-of-attorney in those circumstances is to make sure against what can often be nearly insurmountable odds that effective health care is attempted and achieved. Posted by Bridges To Recovery on 01/18/10 at 06:45 AM It is effective immediately after it is executed and delivered to the agent. It is effective indefinitely unless it contains a specific termination date, it is revoked, or the principal becomes competent. Posted by medical insurance reviews on 09/07/10 at 02:10 PM Page 1 of 1 pages Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Next entry: Funny Ha-Ha, Or That Other Kind Of Funny? Previous entry: Nor Do I Play One On TV! << Back to main


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Test-Driving Your Medical Power-Of-Attorney

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri