What is a health care proxy?

A health care proxy is a vital tool in estate planning, even if you’ve made your end-of-life wishes clear to your family. A health care proxy authorizes someone to make medical decisions for you if you become incapacitated. You can choose almost any adult you trust as your health care proxy, even if they’re not a family member.

How do I make a health care proxy official?

Complete your advance directive forms. To make your care and treatment decisions official, you can complete a living will. Similarly, once you decide on your health care proxy, you can make it official by completing a durable power of attorney for health care. Share your forms with your health care proxy, doctors, and loved ones.

How do I name a health care proxy?

To name a health care proxy, you can use an advance directive called the durable power of attorney for health care. An advance directive is a legal document that provides instructions for medical care and only goes into effect if you cannot communicate your own wishes.