A document in which individuals select another person to act on their behalf in the event they become incapacitated. The document may identify specific activities, such as managing the incapacitated person’s financial affairs. If the document allows the agent to make health care decisions, it must be drafted in a manner that meets statutory requirements for a “health care durable power of attorney.”
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ADVANCE DIRECTIVE: A document that patients complete to direct their medical care when they are otherwise unable to communicate their own wishes.