Which document allows you to designate a person to make healthcare decisions when you cannot?

• A. DNR
• B. Living Will
• C. Power of Attorney
• D. Five Wishes

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is appointing a person who has the legal authority to make medical decisions for you when you’re unable to do so yourself. A healthcare power of attorney (often called a durable power of attorney for healthcare) is a legal document that names a trusted individual to act on your behalf, making medical choices and communicating with clinicians according to your wishes. This arrangement stays in effect if you become incapacitated, which provides a clear, authorized decision-maker when it matters most.

This is different from a do-not-resuscitate directive, which simply instructs clinicians not to perform CPR in a specific situation, and from a living will, which records your preferences for treatments but does not appoint someone to decide for you. Five Wishes can designate a proxy as well as express values and preferences, but the explicit document that grants the decision-making authority you can rely on across various medical scenarios is the healthcare power of attorney.