Health-Care Power of Attorney in Diablo, Contra Costa County

Start with the decision you need to make

A health-care directive can name an agent for health-care decisions. The first question is whether the person currently named is still the person you want in that role. Consider whom you trust to understand your wishes, communicate with others, and make decisions when you cannot speak for yourself. These are practical considerations to discuss, not a legal test or a guarantee about how someone will act.

Think about whether you want to name alternate agents as well. For each person you are considering, ask whether they understand your preferences, can be reached when needed, and are willing to take on the responsibility. You can also discuss what you would want that person to know about your values and how you would prefer disagreements or uncertainty to be handled.

• Who is currently named, and do you still want that person to act?
• Whom would you trust as an alternate?
• What would each person need to understand about your wishes and communication preferences?

Compare authority, not just document titles

Health-care authority and financial authority serve different purposes. A financial power of attorney does not name someone to make health-care decisions merely because the same person is named in both documents. Review each document for the role it assigns and the kind of decisions it addresses before deciding what, if anything, to change.

A useful comparison is to set your health-care directive beside any financial power of attorney and note who is named in each. Ask whether the people and roles still fit together as you intend. If you want the same person to handle both areas, discuss whether the documents actually express that choice; if you prefer different people, make that distinction clear in your planning conversation.

• Identify the person named for health-care decisions.
• Separately identify the person named for financial authority.
• Flag any outdated names, changed relationships, or uncertainty about which role a document covers.

Keep agent selection separate from treatment preferences

Choosing who may speak for you and recording what care you would prefer are related planning questions, but they are not the same question. When comparing documents, review your written treatment preferences separately from the appointment of an agent. Ask whether those preferences still reflect what you want and how you would like your agent to use or communicate them.

This page concerns the choice of a health-care decision maker, not medical recommendations or instructions about particular treatments. A practical preparation step is to bring a list of questions about how your current documents fit together and what you want your agent to understand. You can discuss the documents and your goals without assuming that one document answers every planning question.

Prepare for a focused review from Diablo

Gather the health-care directive you currently rely on, any financial power of attorney, and any written treatment preferences you want to compare. Make a short list of proposed agent and alternate choices, along with any concerns about communication, availability, or a change in your wishes. The purpose is to clarify what you want to discuss; this list is not a legal requirement.

Diablo is an unincorporated community in Contra Costa County, not a separate firm office. The firm’s physical office is at 802 Grant Ave, Novato, and virtual services are available throughout California. The Contra Costa Superior Court provides an official resource for obtaining probate records, but that resource concerns court records; it is not a process for approving routine health-care planning documents or a determination of where a particular matter belongs.