Advocate Designation

A health care proxy is a document that allows you to appoint another person(s) as your health care agent to make health care decisions on your behalf if you are no longer able to do so. You may give your health care agent authority to make decisions for you in all medical situations if you cannot speak for yourself.

A DNR is a document that specifies that the patient does not want to be resuscitated.A Living Will is a legal document wherein the patient designates if they want life support continued if they are incapacitated and in a "terminal condition", an "end stage condition", or in a "persistent vegetative state".

Elder Law Attorney A living will can dictate when you want a ventilator, dialysis, tube feeding, blood transfusions, and other life- saving or life-prolonging options. A DNR is a different document. A DNR says that if your heart stops or you stop breathing, medical professionals should not attempt to revive you.

Unlike a living will, where a person dictates their own wishes, a healthcare proxy gives authority to make medical decisions to another individual. Thus, it is important to communicate your wishes to the proxy about end-of-life decisions to help guide them when that time comes.

False. Naming a health care agent proxy does not take away any of your authority. You always have the right, while you are still competent, to override the decision of your proxy or revoke the directive.

A living will and a health care power of attorney are related but work in different ways.A health care power of attorney permits you to name a health care proxy, or agent a person who will make medical decisions on your behalf if you are unable to make them yourself.

A Living Will is a right given from one person to another to discontinue life support and permit the person to die naturally. WHAT IS A HEALTH CARE SURROGATE? A Health Care Surrogate is a document which grants another person the power to make health care decisions for the benefit of the person granting the power.

Power of Attorney for Healthcare With what is known as a durable power of attorney for health care, you can designate an agent that will make decisions that weren't covered by your living will. It is important to note that your health care agent can't overrule any of the provisions of your living will.

A DNR says that if your heart stops or you stop breathing, medical professionals should not attempt to revive you. This is very different from a health care proxy, which only goes into effect if you are unable to communicate your wishes for care.