In Nevada, a “Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care” is a signed, dated, and witnessed written instruction naming another person as your “agent” or “health care proxy” to make medical decisions for you if you should become unable to make them for yourself. The instrument may include instructions regarding any treatment you would desire or those you wish to avoid, such as surgery or artificial feeding. The Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care will be in effect whenever you are unable to make decisions and, unlike the Living Will, is not limited to situations where you are terminal or have an incurable condition. The agent’s authority begins only when a physician determines that you have lost the capacity to decide about treatment.
