Have you made a New Years Resolution this year? We have one idea for you. Make sure you are taken care of by filling out a Durable Power of Attorney (POA) form. You don’t need to make detailed plans to get this done. You can knock it off your to do list in about five minutes by following the directions below.

Everyone should have a durable power of attorney for health care issues as a part of their long term planning. This is extremely easy to do, and is free.

What is a durable power of attorney for health care matters? It is a document that gives another trusted person the authority to make health care decisions for you if for some reason you cannot make the decisions for yourself.

Why would you need this? If you are in a car accident, and unconscious, but need emergency surgery, the person with your authorized power of attorney can give consent for the surgery to be done.

Also if you are older and go into a coma it gives the person with your prior consent to either keep you on life support or to let you die without it. These situations can happen to anyone from all walks of life, so it is important for you and your loved ones to have one.

To download a DPA form to print out and complete just go to http://www.soundfamilymedicine.com/images/stories/SFM/DurablePowerAttorney.pdf

And print and complete the form. It is the Washington State POA form, and needs to be witnessed, ideally notarized, in order to be valid. You should print one of these for each of your family members, and then let the designated POA know where to find the document in case it is needed.

It’s that easy. Congratulations, you have made a big step towards keeping your important documents up to date and in order.