Medical power of attorney is a document which is duly signed by a competent adult also knows as principal. Here principal appoints another person whom he trusts as a person who will take all decisions regarding his health should there be for any reason unable to do so himself. The individual chose to act on the executor's behalf is known as agent.
Once the document is ready, the primary person who is the executor of the attorney continues to take decisions as long as he is fit to do so and should any situation demands and he becomes incapable to take any decisions, then his agent is competent as per the medical power of attorney document to take all decisions regarding his health and his treatment. Health care agents are allowed in about forty nine of the US states as well as also in the District of Columbia. Though health care agents are in no way compulsory, rather they facilitate the patients wish to be taken care of in those cases where he is incapable to communicate them to the doctors and nurses.
Any person above the age of 18 can be a primary individual's agent. The agent must possess a sound mind and should be capable of judgment. Health care providers also insist that agent should be close and trusted by the primary individual.
The agent gets empowered due to Medical power of attorney when a competent physician or doctor comes to the conclusion that the primary individual is not capable of taking decisions regarding his health anymore. The agent has power to sustain or even remove the feeding tubes from the primary person, if he is just alive because of these tubes only.
The agent would take decision which would actually stem from the inherent knowledge of the patients own desire in this matter. If the primary individual has made his intentions clear, then these must be followed in the letter and spirits despite any objections form the agent. Beyond this Medical power of attorney puts no limitations on the health care proxy as he can take almost all the decisions in the way primary person would have desired and take the action whatever he/she thinks is better.