Taking Care of Mom and Dad: Health Care Power of Attorney

A health care or medical durable power of attorney empowers someone to make only health care decisions on your parents' behalf if they're unable to do so.

A health care power of attorney usually takes effect anytime your parents are unable, even temporarily, to communicate their wishes regarding medical treatment. The key feature of this arrangement is that it allows your parents to state in advance whom doctors should consult about medical decisions while they are incapacitated. This can be especially important in situations where family members are likely to disagree on care or where the patient wants a nonrelative to be the decision-maker.

Depending on how the paperwork is drawn up, a power of attorney can be quite limited -- with clear specifications for how medical services are to be used. For example, if your mother wants 24-hour home health care, she can put this in writing -- and restrict you from putting her in a nursing home.