Louisiana Power of Attorney for Health Care
About this form
The Louisiana Power of Attorney for Health Care is a legal document that allows you to designate an agent to make health care decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so. This form is especially important because it empowers your agent with the authority to consent to or refuse medical treatments, taking your personal wishes into account. Unlike a general power of attorney, this form focuses specifically on health care decisions, ensuring that your health care preferences are respected even if you become incapacitated.
Key parts of this document
- Appointment of Mandatary: Designates your agent for medical decisions.
- General Statement of Authority Granted: Details the authority given to your agent regarding health care decisions.
- Statement of Desires, Special Provisions, and Limitations: Allows you to specify your health care preferences and any restrictions.
- Inspection and Disclosure of Information: Grants your agent the power to access and share your medical records.
- Autopsy, Anatomical Gifts, and Disposition of Remains: Permits your agent to make decisions about autopsy and remains.
- Duration: Indicates how long the power of attorney is valid.
When this form is needed
You should use the Louisiana Power of Attorney for Health Care when you want to ensure that your medical preferences are followed in the event of a serious illness or injury that leaves you unable to communicate. This form is beneficial if you wish to appoint someone you trust to make health care decisions on your behalf, particularly for decisions involving life-sustaining treatments and procedures.
Who can use this document
- Individuals who want to designate a trusted person to make health care decisions for them.
- People facing imminent health challenges who wish to describe their specific medical treatment preferences.
- Anyone who wants to ensure that their health care choices are respected, even if they become incapacitated.
How to prepare this document
- Identify yourself as the principal and fill in your full name at the beginning of the document.
- Appoint your agent by providing their full name in the designated area.
- Detail any specific desires, limitations, or special provisions regarding your health care in the Statement of Desires section.
- Consider naming alternate agents in case your primary agent is unable to fulfill their duties.
- Sign and date the document in the presence of witnesses to validate it.
Does this document require notarization?
To make this form legally binding, it must be notarized. Our online notarization service, powered by Notarize, lets you verify and sign documents remotely through an encrypted video session.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Failing to clearly specify desires or limitations, which can lead to misunderstandings.
- Not designating alternate agents, leaving gaps if the primary agent is unavailable.
- Omitting signatures or witness information, which may invalidate the form.
Why complete this form online
- Convenience of immediate access to the form.
- Editability allows you to customize your directives easily.
- Reliability by using templates drafted by licensed attorneys.
Form popularity
FAQ
To get medical power of attorney, the principal will need to have an agent selected and sign the document within the requirements for the State. Afterward, the agent selected will be able to make health care decisions immediately after the principal is no longer able to make themselves.
A power of attorney allows one person to give legal authority to another person to act on their behalf. A financial power of attorney authorizes an individual to make financial decisions, while a medical power of attorney allows for someone to make medical decisions.
Write down any specific instructions for your health or end of life care. Decide what powers to include in your medical power of attorney. You can state very specific directions in your medical power of attorney, or just generally give your medical agent the right to make any and all decisions about your health.
In case you ever become mentally incapacitated, you'll need what are known as "durable" powers of attorney for medical care and finances.(Ordinary, or "nondurable," powers of attorney automatically end if the person who makes them loses mental capacity.)
Requirements for Power of AttorneyLouisiana requires that all of your documents are notarized. Even copies of the power of attorney must be certified through the original document. It does not matter if your wishes will be executed in Louisiana or out-of-state.
A Power of Attorney might be used to allow another person to sign a contract for the Principal. It can be used to give another person the authority to make health care decisions, do financial transactions, or sign legal documents that the Principal cannot do for one reason or another.
A Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care is a document that lets you name someone else to make decisions about your health care in case you are not able to make those decisions yourself. It gives that person (called your agent) instructions about the kinds of medical treatment you want.
Non-Durable Power of Attorney. Durable Power of Attorney. Special or Limited Power of Attorney. Medical Power of Attorney. Springing Power of Attorney. Create Your Power of Attorney Now.
An agent under a durable POA does not have any power until the principal is incapacitated. Once that happens, however, the designated individual must make health care decisions for the principal.
