What happens if you are incapacitated and incapable of making decisions for yourself? Who gets to decide what treatments you receive, if any? Your doctors? No. The government? Let’s hope not. Unless you have a medical Durable Power of Attorney, the order is this: spouse, adult children, parents, siblings, adult grandchildren, etc. If you have more than one adult child, they all have to agree (to be verified by the care givers) on treatment before anything can be done.

By thinking ahead and giving someone DPOA status, you get to choose whose hands your life is in. Think about it.