Re: Health Care Powers of Attorney

April 6, 2007

Addy,

Thanks for sharing this info with us. I am so sorry to hear you are having a

tough time. My thoughts are with you and your family.

Happy Easter,

----- Original Message ----

From: pyle456 <coachmac@...>

Sent: Friday, April 6, 2007 6:01:19 AM

Subject: [ ] Health Care Powers of Attorney

Hello, all,

My husband and I are going through a situation with his father, who

has alzheimer's. I won't discuss it at length, but it has prompted

me to start a new " soapbox " discussion.

Just as it is important to have a will, it is important to have a

health care power of attorney in place, especially for folks who are

aging or folks who have a serious or debilitating illness.

A health care POA specifies that in the event one becomes unable to

manage one's own health care, a designated person is named one's

health care agent and able to make decisions on one's behalf. At

least in NC, health care POAs must state that a specific doctor is

responsible for determining if one has lost one's capacity to the

extent that the health care agent must take over.

In most cases is not necessary to get a lawyer to draw up a Health

care POA. However, there are usually legal steps to follow. In NC,

a sample health care POA is available at the website of the state's

secretary of state. IN NC the health care POA must be witnessed by

at least two people who are not related to the person signing, and

the person signing must do so in front of a notary. Then the POA

must be filed at the local register of deeds. It can sit there and

not be used until such time as the specified doctor decides that the

individual can no longer make his/her own health care decisions.

If there is no health care POA in place and an individual becomes

incompetent before one can be executed, then in many states a

guardianship hearing is required, even for the spouse to take over.

That is an ordeal in itself.

So, talk to your loved ones and friends. Having a health care POA in

place can save a lot of hardship and heartache at a difficult time.

Addy

Group co-owner

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April 6, 2007

Here, Here Addy! Bravo. Everyone, Please have a health care power of attorney.

Even if you are young, please, it saves so much heart ache in the end! I did

mine at 35 years old, at 50 it is still in place and I haven't changed any of my

wishes, but you can change them along the way if you wish. Simple forms - 15

minutes of time - lifetime of peace of mind.

Pat

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April 6, 2007

Good advice, Addy. We went through that with my Dad and fortunately enough he

still had his mental faculties enough to not only sign the Durable POA (which

included health care decisions) for me, but also signed a " Do Not Resuscitate

(spelling?) " order (there is another name for it but I can't remember what it is

right now.) I also have POA for my Mom but so far we have not had her sign the

Do Not Resuscitate, but she has told all of us that we are not to have her kept

alive on tubes. I live in Texas and my sister is a lawyer and had one of the

lawyers at the firm where she works draw up the DPOA's for us.

My husband and I are getting to the age where we are considering having that

done when we update our wills.

pyle456 <coachmac@...> wrote: