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2. Health care proxy
A health care proxy is a legal document we all need to have. This document authorizes someone else (a proxy) to make decisions on your behalf regarding health care. When compared to a durable power of attorney, a health care proxy applies only to health matters.
In general, this legal document is needed when your spouse, for example, is unconscious, therefore unable to make decisions on her/his behalf. When you become a proxy, you must know your spouse’s wishes. For instance, you must know if your spouse will agree to a tracheostomy if his/her life is saved that way.
So, to avoid what-ifs, a health care proxy is pretty useful.